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We wonder what the New Year will bring us. We worry about our families, the financial situation, our safety, the Church, and so many other personal issues. We are all hoping for the better, yet we rarely stop to think about the changes we personally have to make for something better to become a reality.
"And the Word was made Flesh" becomes real in situations where there need to be changes, either in our personal lives or in our country. It is true that we find ourselves living in a global village, because what we do affects the lives of our neighbors on the opposite side of our planet, one way or the other.
Advent and Christmas were reminders that God became Man for a specific purpose. We sometimes forget that God became Man in order to save humanity. We can think of salvation only as saving us from losing the presence of God, but it is much more than that. Salvation is not only a matter of the future, but it is also about our present where there is an urgent need for healing.
When we think of salvation in this way, we can then think that Incarnation continues to take place over and over again. God becoming Man is a way of revealing Himself to humanity in order to develop a personal relationship with Him. This is what makes Christianity different from pagan religion; we can have a personal relationship with God. We do not have to bribe Him in order to get Him to do us favors. He takes the initiative to show us how much He loves us.
Relationship, and I mean personal relationship, is a way of empowering each other in so many ways. Parents and children are empowered through their personal relationship; so are husband and wives; even in the neighborhood and in the workplace it matters. We work at our relationships to make them healthy and sincere as well as to keep them going. In that process we can experience the power they give us.
God wants the same for us because He knows that a personal relationship with Him will empower us to make the necessary changes in our personal lives - and will affect the lives of others as well.
Your faith in God is a beacon to your friends in this community. It is also a beacon to your brothers and sisters wherever they may be. I have witnessed true faith in so many people that I am encouraged to keep going amidst the stormy weather in my personal life. It gives me hope and a real presence of God's kingdom. It also makes me aware that personal relationship has a price that each must be willing to pay in order for it to grow.
God's revealing Himself to us sends a message: He cares for you and me. He cares for the whole world and we must not lose faith that He will make changes for the better. Each of us must be ready to be used as He pleases. He wants to be incarnated in you and me to make those changes.
May you have a prosperous New Year!
The Rt. Rev. Sylvestre D. Romero
National Chaplain |