Dear Friends,
Earlier in December, Pope Francis travelled to Cyprus and
Greece on one of his many pastoral trips to embrace the world.
He made a special point of going to Lesbos, a place he
visited five years ago where, to this day, many refugees fleeing persecution disembark
as they arrive in Europe. There, Pope Francis stood again amid the chaos and
disorientation of the waterfront camp. Giving a reason for his return, Pope
Francis told the people:
“I have to see your
faces.”
Haggard faces, gaunt faces, faces full of hope, young and
old faces, faces loved by others, faces alive with song:
“I have to see your
faces.”
Those could have been the very words of God, spoken to a
likewise fragile world of 2100 years ago. God in Jesus came to peer into the
faces of the people of that day – the poor, the ill, the downtrodden, children
and women, the sad, the despairing.
This is the true meaning of Christmas. God in Jesus, saying
to the people then and now:
“I have to see your
faces.”
Christmas means that God is present to us wherever we are,
however, we live and thrive or suffer those just setting out in life. Everyone.
Today, God desires to see all our faces.
For Christmas this year, look lovingly at the faces of other
people with the eyes of God. With this inspired sight, Christmas may be more
new, more real for us than ever before.
Christmas blessings to you and all you have come to know as yours.
~Sister Joan Sobala
