We are in the most beautiful season of the year and finally, Christmas Eve is here. This is the moment to celebrate the greatest gift we, as humanity, have received: Jesus Christ made man. We receive the Son of God with joy, and we are preparing our hearts for Him.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

In this season, the environment is filled with joy, Christmas Carols appear and we see images of Christmas trees full of lights and of families gathered around the table. This is a time of union and joy, a period which gives us the opportunity to be together, to share and to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received.

However, while the Christmas celebration is peaceful for most of us, hundreds of people are suffering in different regions of the world. The victims of the war in Syria, the families of persons that have disappeared, the victims of human trafficking, and many others make us ask ourselves how can we take the good news of the Birth of Jesus to those who face threats continuously? How can we announce Christ’s Pease to them? How can we celebrate these festivities with joy at home while our brothers and sisters are surrounded by the pain caused by bombs?

Let us begin by recognizing that even in the darkest conditions, the miracle of the Birth of Jesus is present. He chose to become man to make us participants of His Divine Life and also to sow solidarity with our human condition. He brings us together as brothers and sisters and gives comfort to our hearts with his infinite tenderness.

His Incarnation is the personification of hope. Jesus comes to the world to encourage us, to tell us that God’s promises shall be fulfilled. We have hope because Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead for us.

Tonight, let us ask Child Jesus to open our hearts and to enlighten us so that we are able to recognize His face in each one of the elderly persons, the poor, the abused, the abandoned, the sick… Let us ask Him to help us not to be timid but to have the courage to take his message far and wide as Savior of the world and as an inexhaustible source of true peace; and especially, let us ask Him to teach us to give a permanent testimony of His love through our works.

Let us live these days with solidarity. Let us come together in praying for our brothers and sisters who are far away, and let us accompany those who are near in their needs, sharing the courage, the love and the hope that Christ gives us with those who need them most.

Let us experience the joy that the deep and true love for Christ gives us.

Merry Christmas!