Dear brothers and sisters, members of the Order and of the Augustinian Family:
What contradictory times we are living in! They are times of joy but also of sorrow; times of hope and at the same time of disappointment; times of encounter and likewise of individualism and fierce confrontations. Such is our world since sin made its appearance in it. We could not say whether the present is better or worse than other times; and thus, although from a certain perspective we might affirm with Qoheleth that nothing is new under the sun [Ecc 1, 9], we also know that our time is a changing time, one that necessarily renews itself every day, because every day we must make use once again of our freedom aided by grace (though so often we actually act with our backs turned to grace) and choose once more between life or death, good or evil [cf. Dt 30, 15].
The teaching of our holy Father Augustine does not age: “Bad times, troublesome times —so people say—. Let us live well, and the times will be good. The times are us; as we are, so are the times.” “If there were fewer bad people, there would be fewer evils”[Serm 80, 8]. In this world wounded by contradictions, filled with wheat and weeds [Mt 13, 25], the Son of God was incarnate, when the fullness of time had come, to bring us the Good News of our adoption as children [Gal 4, 4-5] and inaugurate a new creation in which the love and justice of God have the final word and establish a Kingdom of fraternity. The Child in the manger of Bethlehem is the true novelty of all times. And so, two millennia later, as witnesses to an era once again ravaged by wars, the ravages of ideologies, the destruction of the family, and so many other calamities, we continue celebrating the Incarnation, the birth of the Savior. In this way, we recall that, by suffering it, God has set a limit to evil; naked, He has clothed us with garments of salvation [Is 61, 10]; amid tears, He comforts all who mourn [Is 61, 2].
Celebrating Christmas reminds us that ultimately the weakness of love shall prevail. He is our hope, the total hope: the hope of the coming of a world where a nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again [Is 2, 4]; and the hope of another one where there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away [Rev 21, 4]. Brothers and sisters, I want to invite you during these days of hope to step away, at least a little, from daily concerns and fix your inner gaze on the mystery of “a God who has not enclosed Himself in His impenetrable heavens, but has made Himself flesh and blood, history and days, to share our lot” [Pope Francis in the preface of “Hope never disappoints”], who continually comes to meet us, who makes Himself like us so that we may become like Him.
We always run the risk of forgetting Him who never forgets us. Let us not get distracted along the way; let us not forget the path to Bethlehem. It is certainly beautiful to meet one another, necessary to arrange outward signs of joy, and wonderful to give and receive gifts. But let us ensure that the meeting, the joy, and the gifts do not lead us away from Him who has infinitely drawn near to us. Nothing is more beautiful than celebrating in communion the great works that God has done and continues to do, which we recognize as we contemplate how He patiently continues to weave His love story into the fabric of our small personal stories.
Because Christmas has happened, let us embark on the Holy Year as true pilgrims of Hope. Let us not despair even though the bombs sound louder and the cries of pain intensify. Let us embrace hope, let us cultivate hope. We too, like the Pope in the anthology of texts Hope is a Light in the Night, ask ourselves, “How could we live without hope? What would daily life be like?” Hope, flanked by her sisters Faith and Charity, is, in the Pope's words, “the salt of daily life”. “To cultivate hope means not giving in to the night, preferring light to darkness, and making all things new”. “It is not an empty word, nor a vague wish for things to get better: hope is a certainty because it is founded on God’s faithfulness to His promises”.
Christmas is the guarantee of God’s faithfulness, the evidence that His Word is fulfilled, the proof that He keeps His promises. Let us also go as pilgrims to nurture hope in the manger. Because only anchored in it can we wish one another, as I do,
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Fr. Alejandro Moral Antón-Prior General-
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