It is Christmas once again! At this time, I wish to address each and every one of you to convey my greetings of Peace, Joy, Hope and Hospitality!
Message to all of the HOSPITALLER COMMUNITY. Christmas 2016
This is a unique opportunity to share with you, through the lens of hospitality which is our “common project”, a number of reflections on the feast that we are preparing to celebrate and that we live in such a special way in the different hospitaller facilities, in our families, communities and circles of friends.
Accompanying this message are two images of Pope Francis, which seek to illustrate the substance of the following words Jesus is the center of Christmas! Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father who became a human being and lived here with us (cf. Jn 1:14) and whom we encounter continuously in his “living image”: the sick, those who suffer, disabled children, the elderly, the poor and the so many people in need whom we meet on our journey.j
It may seem nonsense to say that Jesus is the center of Christmas. However, the truth is that in many contexts, this celebration seems to be losing its real meaning as we attach greater importance to secondary matters, thus pushing away from our horizon the key message of this festivity: “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16).
People speak more about the Christmas lights than about He who is the true light that “shines on everyone” (cf. Jn 1: 9); they speak more about the Christmas presents than about He who is “God’s gift” (cf. Jn 4:10); they speak more about Christmas dinners than about He who is “the bread that gives life” (cf. Jn 6: 35); they speak more about Christmas travels than about He who is “the way” (cf. Jn 14: 6); they speak more about the Christmas decorations that fill homes and streets rather than speaking about He who was born poor and humble in a manger because “there was no room for them in the inn” (cf. Lk 2:7); they speak more about Santa Klaus who comes to hand out presents than God the Father who in his mercy gave us the best gift of all: his love “revealed in his Son Jesus Christ” (cf. Jn 1:18).
