“Where is God in this time of war?”.
This and other questions were asked by the Minister General, fr. Massimo Fusarelli, at Mass on Christmas Eve, celebrated in the church of Our Lady the Mediatrix at the General Curia of the Order in Rome.
We live in a time in which the shadows seem to overwhelm the lights: darkness of war, death, violence, chaos, indeed, an endless tunnel, which often crushes the faint lights of Hope, Joy, Love.
“Christmas - said fr. Massimo - is precisely this hope in the shadows, this light in the darkness, this possibility that we alone could never have received. Yet, a star shines continuously in the darkness of this night.”
Therefore, as believers and Christians, the coming Lord invites us not to lose faith and to look even to the small signs of those lights that can illuminate our lives.
On the night of the 800th anniversary of Christmas in Greccio, there was no lack of reference to the great intuition that Francis had in the Rieti Valley: “On that little bit of straw with an ox and a donkey at his side, Francis celebrated the Eucharist, sang the Gospel and announced the Word of the Gospel to those present. […] This is how our God makes Himself known: in a mystery of poverty and limitation, which makes us welcome and bless our humanity, which remains humble and small. […] We are in darkness, but we see the light!”.
My wish for everyone, concluded fr. Massimo, is that Christmas may educate people to recognize this Light and to give strength, courage and faith, moreover, to bring it to the whole world, especially in those places overwhelmed by darkness.
