This Christmas season is particularly precious for our Family; we rejoice in celebrating our Source of inspiration and guidance.
In one of his Christmas sermons, the Founder tells us: ‘Come close to the Child in the Crib, there you will find your model’. We know that the way of contemplating the Holy Family that he proposes to us is not simply in order to be moved by the beautiful images of the Crib; it is an invitation to accompany the Holy Family throughout their life journey, to Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth and Jerusalem, and try to shape our lives according to their model. For the members of the PBN Family, to contemplate the Holy Family is to enter their hearts, their thoughts, to try to see the world and life, through their eyes.
Therefore, celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family on the last Sunday of 2024 recalls for us the memory of the journey made during this year that is ending. The most painful events immediately come to mind, such as wars, natural disasters, violence against Life, wrong decisions, unrealised goals, etc. There have also been positive and joyful events: gestures of solidarity, resistance, resilience, encounters, obstacles overcome through new steps, big and small….
Let’s take a few minutes to visit the Holy Family and talk to them about our lives during this year: How have I lived through it all? What attitudes and values of the Holy Family have guided me this year? In the face of different events, whether happy or sad, how do I recognise the Holy Family identity in my attitudes, as well as in the responses of my group or community?
“ O Jesus, Mary and Joseph who in your goodness admitted us into your Holy Family and who wish us to imitate you, fill our hearts with fervour for our work, with zeal for the salvation of souls, and with charity which will lead us to love our suffering brothers and sisters, and especially to love you always” (Spiritual Guide for Today. 173)
Sr. Geni Dos Santos Camargo
General Councillor, Rome