A Christmas Message

 

A Christmas Message from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), Province of Ireland.

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We rejoice this day because we remember that God is not far away; God dwells among us. According to Karl Rahner: “At Christmas, through his grace-filled birth, God says to the world: “I am there. I am with you. I am your life. Do not be afraid to be happy… I have sheltered safely in the cold stable of your world. I am there... Even if you do not see me. I am there. It is Christmas. Light the candles! They have more right to exist than all the darkness. It is Christmas. Christmas lasts forever.”

It is true that often times we do not see the presence of God, but the gift of faith assures us that God is always near. May we open our hearts to receive the grace, the true gift we celebrate on this day, which is Christ himself.

Pope Francis once said that Christmas is a day of mercy, in which God our Father has revealed his great tenderness to the entire world. It is a day of light, which dispels the darkness of fear and anxiety. It is a day of peace, which makes for encounter, dialogue and, above all, reconciliation. And it is a day of joy: a “great joy” for the poor, the lowly and for all the people (cf. Lk 2:10).

Where God is born, hope and peace is born. And where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war. In our world where violence persists and where peace remains a gift to be implored and a goal to be sought, we pray this Christmas that God will grant consolation and strength to those who suffer and will give us the wisdom and the courage to be instruments of God’s peace.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support and prayers during the past year and ask God to shower upon each one of you the graces you need at this Christmas time. In thanksgiving to God for all that we have experienced during 2016, may each one of us greet this New Year with open arms and entrust all that we will be and do into God’s loving embrace.

 

Christmas blessings!

 

Srs. Kathleen McGarvey, Maria Lee and Phil Mulligan,

OLA Provincial Leadership Team.