“Let us live Christmas …
placing Jesus at the center
of our life…”
Message to all of the
HOSPITALLER COMMUNITY
Christmas 2016
It is Christmas once again! At this time, I wish to address each and every one of you to convey
my greetings of Peace, Joy, Hope and Hospitality! This is a unique opportunity to share with
you, through the lens of hospitality which is our “common project”, a number of reflections on
the feast that we are preparing to celebrate and that we live in such a special way in the
different hospitaller facilities, in our families, communities and circles of friends.
Accompanying this message are two images of Pope Francis, which seek to illustrate the
substance of the following words Jesus is the center of Christmas! Jesus, the beloved Son of
the Father who became a human being and lived here with us (cf. Jn 1:14) and whom we
encounter continuously in his “living image”: the sick, those who suffer, disabled children, the
elderly, the poor and the so many people in need whom we meet on our journey.
It may seem nonsense to say that Jesus is the center of Christmas. However, the truth is that in
many contexts, this celebration seems to be losing its real meaning as we attach greater
importance to secondary matters, thus pushing away from our horizon the key message of this
festivity: “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16).
People speak more about the Christmas lights than about He who is the true light that “shines
on everyone” (cf. Jn 1: 9); they speak more about the Christmas presents than about He who is
“God’s gift” (cf. Jn 4:10); they speak more about Christmas dinners than about He who is “the
bread that gives life” (cf. Jn 6: 35); they speak more about Christmas travels than about He who
is “the way” (cf. Jn 14: 6); they speak more about the Christmas decorations that fill homes and
streets rather than speaking about He who was born poor and humble in a manger because
“there was no room for them in the inn” (cf. Lk 2:7); they speak more about Santa Klaus who
comes to hand out presents than God the Father who in his mercy gave us the best gift of all:
his love “revealed in his Son Jesus Christ” (cf. Jn 1:18).
Jesus, the beloved Son, became Immanuel, which means God is with us (cf. Mt 1: 23), so that all
men and women of all time and in any place could receive the grace of knowing and feeling
that we are “his sons and daughters” tenderly loved by Him and capable of loving others with
that same tenderness. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the “revolution of
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tenderness”. That is why believing in Him is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in
the community, from service, from reconciliation with others1.
“Let us live Christmas … placing Jesus at the center of our life …” means accepting
the invitation so often repeated by Saint Benedict Menni, who tells us: “Contemplate
the Child Jesus in the manger and his sweet gaze, his poverty and his silence will speak
to our heart”2. Let us have the courage to stop before the manger in our centers, in our
houses, in our communities, and before those that we see in the streets, in churches or
in exhibitions… let us allow the Child to speak to us, let us speak about Him, and let us
ask ourselves: Is Jesus at the center this Christmas? What is this Child telling us from
the fragility of his human condition?
“Let us live Christmas … placing Jesus at the center of our life …” means revitalizing our
commitment to be the promoters of a culture of mercy, based “on the rediscovery of
encounter with others, a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away
from the suffering of our brothers and sisters”3. In the hospitaller mission, we are called to live
with concrete signs, through our dedication, professional quality, creativity and humanization4,
the spirit that leads us to draw near to our brothers and sisters, travelling down the road of
mercy, on which we meet so many of our brothers and sisters who reach out for someone to
take their hand and become a companion on the way5.
There are so many opportunities to place Jesus and his living images at the center of our life!
When we welcome with an open heart those who need our hospitality; when we are able to
stop and listen to those who need a word of encouragement and comfort; when we try to
perceive the suffering of other people, even when they do not express it; when we touch “sick
bodies”, thus drawing near the mystery of human vulnerability; when we are capable of
inventing new ways to respond to new needs; when with a spirit of understanding we journey
with those families that feel the burden of pain; when our employment relations go well
beyond work and we create bonds of union which focus on providing a better service to those
who are at the canter of the hospitaller mission. When… When…
Today among those of us who live the hospitaller mission as a “common project” and among
those who are in our care, there are people of different religions and philosophies of life. This
message is for you too. While respecting and accepting differences, we do hope that you may
share the joy that comes with knowing that there is a God who loves us and that we must
commit to reaching out to others, especially the most marginalized and abandoned.
May all those who form part of the Hospitaller Community be promoters of a “culture of
mercy”, offering it to all as the most beautiful gift this Christmas. I wish to end this message by
sending you all and your families my very best wishes of Peace and Joy. MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
On behalf of the sisters of the General Administration and on my own behalf, please be assured
of our Christmas greetings and blessings.
Anabela Carneiro
Superior General
Terceira (Azores - Portugal), 18 December 2016
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Cf. POPE FRANCIS, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Rome 2013, 88.
MENNI, B., Letters of the Servant of God, Rome 1975, Letter 13.
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Cf. POPE FRANCIS, Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera, 20.
Cf. Sisters HOSPITALLER, Recreate Hospitality. Paths of Revitalization, Rome 2012, 23.
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Cf. POPE FRANCIS, Apostolic Letter Misericordia et misera, 16.
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