_svg.png){kind=small}
Dear Confreres and friends,
This Christmas, the Word of God will be incarnated as a baby, and His Divine Light will radiate to all the ends of the earth, especially the lives of people who come to accept Him in their hearts and believe in Him.
This Divine Light is so necessary, especially in countries, societies, and families where selfishness reigns, money and power are idolized at the expense of the suffering of others, the destruction of nature and the environment that causes the extinction of millions of animals and fauna, and millions of people are forced to move to other places far from their homeland.
Likewise, the culture of corruption, manipulation, and distortion of civic and ethical laws generates exploitation, hatred, poverty, divisions, and wars among human beings, generating more insecurity, fear, and death. For all of the above, the number of migrants, refugees, and itinerants worldwide increases yearly.
Given this reality, the birth of the child Jesus, who is the Divine Light and the Prince of Peace, Justice, and Love, is long-awaited and acclaimed. This eschatological reality drives us to pilgrimage with hope, just as our Superior General, Fr Leonir Chiarello described it in his message on the occasion of the 136th anniversary of our foundation (November 28, 1887).
Now more than ever, we are called to be bearers of the Divine Light, fully living the sacrament of baptism that we one day received, and, as part of our Scalabrinian spirituality, to continue being light for migrants, refugees, sailors, fishermen, and itinerant people. As our Founder, Saint John Baptist Scalabrini, said to his first missionaries who would serve the Italian immigrants in the United States and Brazil, "bring them the smile of their land and the comfort of their faith."
Just as the Word of God was incarnated in our humanity to walk among us, constantly praying to the Father and doing His will, we too are called to be missionaries of Jesus Christ, becoming migrants among the millions of sisters and brothers who suffer for not being understood because they come from another culture, have other traditions, speak a different language, live in uncertainty due to not having documents that allow them to have a decent and stable job, and due to the different types of abuse they suffer in the countries where they arrive.
Being bearers of the Divine Light drives us to
1. Pray for people who experience the phenomenon of migration.
2. Work with religious, civil, and government institutions to promote respect and dignity for all people who experience this phenomenon.
3. Raise awareness among the local church and the societies that receive migrants and refugees so that they appreciate and value what they contribute to the places where they arrive.
4. Work for unity in diversity, maintaining and promoting the unity of people who arrive in a new country with the local population.
As bearers of the Divine Light, we recognize the need to work for unity between peoples, societies, communities, and families, promoting that Jesus Christ is the center and head of that unity. As His Holiness, Pope Francis said to the participants in the Symposium of Scalabrinian Spirituality promoted by the Missionaries of St Charles Scalabrinians on October 14, 2023, referring to the gospel of John 17, 20–23, it is necessary "to walk towards unity, according to the heartfelt words of the priestly prayer of Jesus."
Let us remain faithful bearers of the Divine Light that radiates the child Jesus, who will be born again in our hearts.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!
Sincerely,
Fr. Martin Ignacio Gutierrez, CS
Provincial Superior