Christmas for us: a new love message of true joy

If we ask people who is God for them most of them may say, God is Almighty, Powerful, Omniscient etc., but Brother Francis would answer differently. He started meditating upon the humility of God and that led him to the periphery. There he had an experience of a humble God of Goodness. He also came out with a new understanding on Christmas. As Fra Richard Rohr OFM and other Franciscan Experts will indicate for Brother Francis if the Incarnation was true then Easter took care of itself. Resurrection is incarnation coming to its logical conclusion. Contemplating on the incarnation he was touched by the goodness and humility of God. God who is so good, all good became very humble to be born in a manger.

St. Bonaventure will also invite us to open our eyes and seek God not in glorious things but in less noticed situations and person. “Little importance should be given to enquiry but much to unction inner feeling. Little importance to be given to the tongue what you say but much to the inner joy, little importance should be given to words and writing but to the very gifts of the Holy Spirit that are within all things.”

If God emptied himself and hid himself inside the material world then God (revealed in Jesus) for Francis was very humble. And that determined his whole life. He just desired to be like Jesus, because one in that human, holy and humble man he found God. So Francis wanted to go where Jesus went and where God was hiding. So let us also start the search for this humble and goodness filled God.

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

As we are beginning the Jubilee Year 2025 let us have the attitude of Brother Francis in recognising God in ordinary life realities, in the needy, at the periphery, in the smallness and give a new love message of true joy. “We are about to begin a true pilgrimage with and towards Christ, our hope, in which we are called to renew our personal faith in order to recognise him present and at work in the Church and in the world, including in the faces of our poorest and suffering brothers and sisters.” Pope Francis

Have a grace, love and hope filled Christmas Season and pray for us also.

Brs. Charles Alphonse and Jaime Rey OFMCap

General Secretariat for Formation