AVE CRUX SPES UNICA
His Eminence The Lord Cardinal
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
Cardinal Priest of ‘S.
Eusebio’
His Eminence The Lord Cardinal Daniel DiNardo
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2012
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
"How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts
to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in
this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Christ
enters in."
(Verse 3, "O Little Town of Bethlehem")
This is the Year of Faith. The Holy Father has
asked us to deepen our Faith!
Faith is a transforming force in our life. In
the dialogue of God with humanity, a dialogue existing from the beginning, the
Lord takes the initiative and keeps inviting each person to know Him, to seek
and find His face. God could have remained solitary but did not. The texts of
the Sacred Scriptures are a constant letter of God to us; the Father of all
wants to communicate with His sometimes scattered sons and daughters. The
response given to God's call for friendship is Faith, a gift that changes the
human heart. It is not just some part of our existence and everyday life, but
the soul of that life.
God revealed Himself in word and works as
shown in the Old Testament. But in the fullness of time the Father crossed a
threshold and sent His Beloved Son. In this way, in meeting Christ, in
listening to Jesus, we would hasten to the embrace of the Father.
Christmas celebrates the Birth of Christ, the
Father's gift, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary. We are asked to begin anew the deepening of our Faith by
"visiting" the manger, a place so unlikely for a Saviour and Lord, so
different from Caesar's fortresses and Quirinius' palace, so different from
worldly powers, a point made beautifully by St. Luke in his Gospel. Worldly
powers and fascinations are still around. The Lord of all still beckons us to
Faith through His Son lying in the manger, destined to complete the
comunication of God with all through His life, death and resurrection.
May God bless all our clergy, religious and
faithful of the Archdiocese during this magnificent season of Christmas and
Epiphany. May you and all your families be embraced by the all consuming love
of the Word Made Flesh, Jesus, our Lord and Brother.
Merry Christmas. A Blessed Year of Faith!
+ Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
No comments:
Post a Comment