FRANCISCANS OF LIFE
Wish you and your loved ones
A BLESSED AND MERRY
CHRISTMAS
AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel,” (Is 7:14)”
The prophet Isaiah speaks of a sign that God is present and that he comes to offer salvation to all who believe. That sign has already taken place. Almost 2,000 years ago, in the City of Bethlehem, the Virgin Mary brought forth her son and named him Jesus, which means, “God is with us”.
Every year, on December 25th we remember that God entered into our history as human and divine child. The promise made by Isaiah, several hundred years before, has been fulfilled.
The Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity became man to offer God the Father the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of humanity. Human beings could not offer a sacrifice that would atone for the sins of humanity from the moment of creation to the end of time. Man is not so powerful. We cannot save ourselves from our sins, but Jesus Christ has redeemed us.
Christmas is the first stone on the road to the greatest sign of all, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To celebrate Christmas in a truly blessed way, we must look forward to the second coming of Christ and prepare ourselves for the final judgement. Christmas is both a memorial of a birth and a reminder of a return. We can only prepare for Christmas if we have a soul filled with sanctifying grace. Confession and Communion are the greatest sources of such grace.
Let us all celebrate, with great joy, the entrance of Jesus into human history and prepare ourselves for his return.
3.
Franciscans of Life 
Leave a Reply