Dear brothers and sisters in Christ and devotees of St. Pio,
Forthcoming is the anniversary of the human birth of the Son of God,
the promised Messiah eagerly awaited by the ancient Fathers who silently
enters into human history, visited only by humble shepherds alerted by
heavenly spirits. It is a birth which took place in simplicity to teach us to
wade warily through the lure of worldly honors, and it took place in poverty
to allow us to understand that earthly riches are not the fruit of love.
From Padre Pio’s Letters: “Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround
the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one
voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing
except love, give us naught except proofs of love” (Ep. IV, 1008).
To change our lives, the child Jesus chooses to be born in humility and poverty in opposition to mistaken human attitudes,
inviting us to live “in the spirit of a child” to begin a new path that leads to love, to communicate, to be understood and to
understand.
It is the journey of the shepherds of Bethlehem who with silence and simplicity in their hearts listened to the voice of God
that invites love and provides the proofs of love.
Let us hear the message that comes from heaven welcoming the child Jesus with a new heart, emptied of pride, avarice and
vanity, the effects of which are violence and the desire to possess more and more material wealth and power rooted in the
evils of sin which afflict the world.
Again Padre Pio in his Letters writes: “The heavenly Babe […] deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from
him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love
poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world […]. Let us offer him all our
hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us
that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity” (Ep. IV, 1009).
The Heavenly Child regenerates our hearts so that we may open them to mercy, understanding
and love, and to bring a word of hope in the world that knows how to overcome
skepticism, fear and loneliness of our present times. To accomplish this, sometimes
you just need to do an act of love, a smile, a sincere wish of Merry Christmas,
simple gestures that turn on a small light that, as in the dimness of the manger,
illuminates the surrounding darkness.
Thanking you for your generous participation in our work, we wish a
Holy Christmas and a happy New Year to you, your families
and to all the people who are dear to you.
The Capuchin Friars
Forthcoming is the anniversary of the human birth of the Son of God,
the promised Messiah eagerly awaited by the ancient Fathers who silently
enters into human history, visited only by humble shepherds alerted by
heavenly spirits. It is a birth which took place in simplicity to teach us to
wade warily through the lure of worldly honors, and it took place in poverty
to allow us to understand that earthly riches are not the fruit of love.
From Padre Pio’s Letters: “Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround
the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one
voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing
except love, give us naught except proofs of love” (Ep. IV, 1008).
To change our lives, the child Jesus chooses to be born in humility and poverty in opposition to mistaken human attitudes,
inviting us to live “in the spirit of a child” to begin a new path that leads to love, to communicate, to be understood and to
understand.
It is the journey of the shepherds of Bethlehem who with silence and simplicity in their hearts listened to the voice of God
that invites love and provides the proofs of love.
Let us hear the message that comes from heaven welcoming the child Jesus with a new heart, emptied of pride, avarice and
vanity, the effects of which are violence and the desire to possess more and more material wealth and power rooted in the
evils of sin which afflict the world.
Again Padre Pio in his Letters writes: “The heavenly Babe […] deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from
him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love
poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world […]. Let us offer him all our
hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us
that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity” (Ep. IV, 1009).
The Heavenly Child regenerates our hearts so that we may open them to mercy, understanding
and love, and to bring a word of hope in the world that knows how to overcome
skepticism, fear and loneliness of our present times. To accomplish this, sometimes
you just need to do an act of love, a smile, a sincere wish of Merry Christmas,
simple gestures that turn on a small light that, as in the dimness of the manger,
illuminates the surrounding darkness.
Thanking you for your generous participation in our work, we wish a
Holy Christmas and a happy New Year to you, your families
and to all the people who are dear to you.
The Capuchin Friars
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