Fr. Alberto Eronti. Another December! We are already at the end of 2012 and every year at this time our feelings and thoughts tend to focus on the past and look forward into the future. In one way or another, we evaluate the past year through our feelings and thoughts. How will we assess it?
For those of us who have the grace of believing, we will reflect on the year with the eyes of faith and see the hand of Divine Providence. It’s not about asking: How did I do? What did I achieve? Was it a good year or not? The questions can be endless.
My years in the consecrated life have shown me that our evaluation should have a different focus: What was positive in the year that is about to end? What did I learn? How did I grow? What opportunities were opened to me and how did I respond? For the believer, life is filled with opportunities and each success is an opportunity to learn, grow, go further and do better…
Our weaknesses, disillusion and sufferings are inevitable. But our weaknesses, disillusions and sufferings are not coincidences of human life. They are also opportunities. Whoever said that “there is more to be learnt from our mistakes than the things right” made a lot of sense. Joseph Kentenich used to say that one of the important arts in life was to “transform the mountains that threaten to crush us into opportunities.” What does this mean? It is not by sheer coincidence that the Church begins its liturgical year a few weeks before the calendar year.
Christ’s nativity makes ours possible
It is as if at the end of a year, regardless of how we’ve assessed it, God says to us: “Take heart! Everything starts anew through the Child.” The birth of the Christ Child in the liturgy and the Church’s celebration makes it possible for each person of faith to be born anew. Christ’s nativity makes ours possible.
May Mary and Jose help us to contemplate and adore the Son of the Father. I wish you a very blessed Christmas and a new year filled with hope.
