Br. Mauro’s Christmas Greetings
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Br. Mauro’s Christmas Greetings
Dear brothers all over the world, it’s Christmas, and I want to send you my good wishes for this celebration. And I recall to you what Pope Francis said on November 23. Imagine: we were four hundred friars from the whole of the Franciscan family. The Pope spoke on minority. That we are friars, friars minor. Listen to a little of what he said:
“[I]n all certainty we can say that minority [for St. Francis] … was born from contemplation of the incarnation of the Son of God, and is summarized in the image of making oneself small, like a seed.”
Therefore, brothers, Christmas for St. Francis is the heart of his life-choice. The eternal Son of God became man, not in a palace, not surrounded by riches and ease, but did so making himself little and poor. And this is important: the Most High makes himself the smallest, but also makes himself a seed, that is, the beginning of a new life.
My wish is that we might contemplate in the Nativity, at this feast of Christmas, something that is part of our life, our being lesser brothers. And being lesser brothers also means embracing another important phrase of Jesus: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, to give his life. Let us imagine and seek to keep in mind how blessed it is that we are able to serve, that we can make ourselves useful to each other, not looking down from on high, but as little ones, as lesser ones.
It is in this sense, dear brothers, that I wish you, this year once again, a happy and holy Christmas.
Br. Mauro Jöhri,
General Minister of the Friars Minor Capuchin
- Video – Br. Mauro’s Christmas Greetings
- Pope Francis, Audience with the Members of the Franciscan Families of the First Order and the Third Order Regular, 23.11.2017 (IT, EN, PL, ES, DE, FR, PT)
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