Dear Brothers and Associates,

Maastricht, December 2019

In this circular letter I wish to call on our sober reflection upon a central aspect of the sacred mysteries of our faith in this special season. In the short but powerful hymn of the Angels, used here as title of this reflection, we are reminded of at least two very important points. First, that God at his chosen time, manifested his goodness, love and mercy towards humanity. The Son of God comes among us that He might reconcile us to the Father, restore our peace of mind and enable us reconcile with one another. For this, the Angels remind us that it is only right and just that we give glory and praise to Him. How do we fulfill this? We could do it in two ways: internally and externally.

To begin with, we fulfill the duty of blessing God by cleansing the heart of all that is not in keeping with the love of God; by disposing ourselves to the graces of God, uniting ourselves more closely to Christ, especially in the sacraments. When we empty the heart of the bile of sin – hatred, bitterness, disaffection, negativity etc. – the spring of thanks- giving wells up in us and we realize and acknowledge our total dependence on Him. It is precisely this recognition and acknowledgment of total dependence on God that consist the blessing of God. To give glory to God, we simply direct our minds, words and deeds to acknowledging His Goodness. This step will help us know WHO and WHY we celebrate Christmas. We realize immediately how crucial this first step is when we take into consideration the second form.