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Felinto Elízio Duarte Campelo |
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With regard to
Christmas
Christmas,
Jesus’ birthday,
is arriving.
We
can sense a
mixture
of joy,
emotion,
hope, and of
Faith
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We are not
bringing you,
properly, a
message. To call
it a message
would be a
figure of
speech. They are
just a few poor,
with no color
words, basted to
form like a
Christmas
message, not to
run away from
our commitment,
recalling the
magnificent
event of Jesus'
coming to Earth.
Simple and
unpretentious
like us, with no
literary value,
focusing on
sparse quotes of
doctrinal
nature, its
contents,
however, are
full emotion.
It is sincere
and was dictated
by our heart,
written with the
emotion inspired
by the Christmas
party, and
transmitted without
oratorical
outbursts, but
directed to you
with much love
and as a pale
expression of
what goes in our
soul and we do
not know how to
put into words.
Potentates and
conquerors have
taken place on
Earth.
Domineering and
cruel, they
enslaved men,
crushed nations,
reaching, by the
armor, the
ephemeral glory
of the world,
and leaving in
its wake death,
pain, despair,
hatred.
Egypt, wise,
powerful and
domineering, was
defeated and
occupied by the
Persians.
Assyria engaged
in war with
Babylon and then
was swallowed by
the Empire of
the Chaldeans.
Nebuchadnezzar
attacked and
razed the city
of Nineveh, and
then
disappeared.
Sparta and
Athens, the old
and glorious
Greece of so
important
philosophers,
mutually
assaulted each
other in bloody
fratricidal
battles.
Rome, tyrannical
and invincible
for many
centuries, saw
its Empire
crumble.
Still a child,
Jesus confounded
and amazed the
doctors of the
Law
Despots came,
deployed the
regime of
violence,
ambition, pride,
passed in a
whirlwind of
disillusionment,
were defeated,
and were
forgotten.
Historians
record their
exploits,
Humanity no
longer remembers
them.
Jesus, however,
had as a cradle
a handful of
straw, a stable
was His
maternity,
humble shepherds
and flocks were
his first
companions.
When He was
born, the
greatest hour of
Humanity, war
hymns were
replaced by
blessed singing
greeting the
Heaven’s
Ambassador.
As a child in
the Temple,
Jesus confounded
and amazed the
doctors of Law.
When He was
young, He worked
as a simple
carpenter at
home,
demonstrating
that in every
achievement we
cannot spare our
own effort.
As an adult,
loving,
forgiving,
healing,
comforting,
teaching, the
Master revoked
all oppressive
and ruthless
laws and
promulgated the
law of Love,
Forgiveness and
Charity.
In his earthly
pilgrimage,
preaching to men
the new doctrine
of brotherhood,
He made of His
Gospel a MANUAL
OF HUMAN CONDUCT
to guide our
steps along the
paths of life.
He composed a
POEM OF LOVE,
which softens
and makes the
renewed hearts
vibrate in
unison with the
Creator. He gave
us an
EVERLASTING
SOURCE OF
HOPE when His
lips uttered
judicious
teachings with
an unforgettable
tenderness.
Be ye therefore
perfect, as
perfect
is your
Father in Heaven
In His Code of
Ethics, Jesus
noted:
"Love the Lord
your God with
all your heart
and with all
your soul and
with your entire
mind. This is
the first and
greatest
Commandment. And
the second,
similar to the
first, is: love
your neighbor in
the same way you
love yourselves.
The whole Law
and the Prophets
are contained in
those two
Commandments”.
"You have
learned what was
said: you will
love your
neighbor and
will you hate
your enemies.
But I say unto
you: Love your
enemies; do good
to them that
hate you and
pray for those
who persecute
and slander you,
so that ye may
be sons of your
Father who is in
Heaven. Be ye
therefore
perfect, as
perfect is your
Father in Heaven".
"When you pray,
do not be like
the hypocrites,
who pray
standing
affectedly in
the Synagogues,
or on the street
corners, so that
they can be seen
by other men.
When you wish to
pray, come to
your room and
shut the door,
pray to the
Father in
secret; and your
Father who sees
what is going on
in secret, will
give you the
reward".
"Give therefore
to Caesar what
is Caesar's and
to God what is
God's".
"Bring out first
the beam out of
thine own eye,
and then, see
how can you take
the speck out of
your brother's
eye".
"Judge not, in
order not to be
judged; because
ye shall be
judged as you
judged others".
Blessed are the
meek, for they
shall inherit
the Earth
We continue
seeking to know
now the Gospel
in its poetic
feature,
recalling the
Sermon on the
Mount, hymn
exalting the
humble and those
who suffer, and
praise the good
and righteous:
Blessed are the
poor in spirit,
for theirs is
the Kingdom of
Heaven;
Blessed are
those who mourn,
for they shall
be comforted;
Blessed are the
meek, for they
shall inherit
the Earth;
Blessed are
those who hunger
and are thirsty
for
righteousness,
for they shall
be filled;
Blessed are the
merciful, for
they shall
obtain mercy;
Blessed are the
pure in heart,
for they shall
see God;
Blessed are the
peacemakers, for
they shall be
called children
of God;
Blessed are they
which are
persecuted for
righteousness'
sake, for theirs
is the Kingdom
of Heaven;
Blessed are ye,
when men shall
revile you and
persecute you
and falsely say
all kinds of
evil against you
because of Me.
Be glad and
rejoice, for
great is your
reward in Heaven
for they
persecuted the
Prophets who
were before you.
How much poetry
also in the
words of Jesus
contained in
Mark, chapter X:
"Let the little
children come to
me and do not
hinder them, for
the Kingdom of
Heaven is for
those who
resemble them".
"I am the Way,
the Truth and
the Life" - said
Jesus
Jesus was also
an inspired
troubadour, as
we can see in
chapter VI,
Matthew:
“Look at the
birds in the
sky: they do not
sow, they do not
reap, and keep
nothing in
barns; but the
Heavenly Father
feeds them”.
"Look how the
field lilies
grow: they do
not work, do not
spin, however, I
tell you that
not even Solomon
in all his
glory, ever
dressed like one
of them”.
Instead, let us
recall the
Gospel as an
everlasting
source of
consolation for
today, and
certainly in a
better future:
"My Kingdom is
not of this
world. If my
Kingdom were of
this world, my
people there
would have
fought to keep
me from falling
into the hands
of the Jews. But
my Kingdom is
still not here".
"Do not let your
heart to be
troubled.
Believe in God,
believe also in
me. There are
many homes in my
Father's house;
if it were
otherwise, I
would have
already told
you, since I am
leaving to
prepare your
place. After I
have gone and
prepared the
place for you, I
will come back
and you will
come with me so
that wherever I
am, you will
also be there".
"I am the way,
the truth and
the life; no one
comes to the
Father except
through me".
"If ye love me,
keep my
Commandments;
and I will pray
to the Father
and He will send
you another
Comforter to be
with you
forever".
"Verily, verily,
I say unto you:
If a man is not
reborn from the
water and the
spirit, he
cannot enter the
Kingdom of God”.
“Come unto me,
all ye that are
heavy and
burdened, I will
give you rest.
Take my yoke
upon you and
learn with me
that I am gentle
and humble in
heart: and ye
shall find rest
for your souls,
for my yoke is
easy and my
burden light".
"Ask, and it
will be given to
you; seek and ye
shall find;
knock and the
door will open
to you; for he
who asks
receives, and
who seeks finds
and who knocks
on the door, it
will open up".
Jesus is truly
the time divider
Jesus was the
greatest example
of love,
kindness, and
simplicity. He
was gentle,
sweet and
compassionate,
stern and He
disciplined but
He was never
violent.
Tolerant, He
understood and
forgave all
human
weaknesses.
Strict, He used
His strength and
moral
superiority, to
reprove the
merchants from
the Temple and
cast obsessive,
perverse and
ignorant Spirits
who subdued
unfortunate
creatures.
Due to His great
importance,
Jesus is truly
the time
divider.
Universal
History
identifies the
eras as Before
Christ and After
Christ.
Still today,
twenty centuries
have gone by,
and the Heavenly
Messenger reigns
in the heart of
Christianity.
As happened two
thousand years
ago, we need to
make Jesus
reborn in each
one of us. Let
Him be born in
us like a
smiling,
beautiful, and
healthy baby,
who will touch
and charm us
with its
innocent smile,
and that will
make us dream.
This child grows
and becomes a
lucid teenager,
ready to clarify
and correct the
vain people, who
believe
themselves
holders of
Truth, in the
same manner as
it happened in
the Temple in
Jerusalem.
A teenager who
reaches youth,
aware of his
duties, endowed
with noble
predicates,
hardworking,
honest,
balanced, a
messenger of
harmony.
A young man who
reaches
adulthood,
strong in Faith,
nourished with
love, haloed by
the inner light,
which makes
Charity the main
virtue of his
life.
Each soul is a
world where
Jesus - the
Christ Praised
by God - must be
born and grow.
Let Him be born
again in us on
this Christmas,
and since he was
a carpenter, let
Him carve in our
heart an altar
where we can
reverence Him.
Christmas –
Jesus’ birthday
- is arriving.
We can sense a
mixture of joy,
emotion, hope,
and of Faith.
The same joy we
usually feel in
mundane
festivities. We
feel the great
excitement that
surrounds us
when we gather
with colleagues,
friends,
brothers and
family - the
renewed hope of
seeing better
days as we turn
the pages of the
calendar. It is
like the blessed
faith, as a
virginal lily,
which blooms
bright and rises
in a prayer of
worship to the
Divine birthday.
It is imperative
that every day
Jesus is born
again among us
It is constantly
said that
Christmas is a
moment of
reflection, of
an analysis of
what we did, and
what was left to
be done.
Well, Christmas
gives us an
opportunity to
think deeply
about what we
went through in
the course of
year, it makes
us reconsider
certain
attitudes, and
forgetting
offenses; it
encourages us to
reconcile with
our enemies
forgiving
unconditionally
and with no
limits.
Christmas is
love.
However, it is
not enough to
analyze and
think about our
attitudes and
what occurred,
only at
Christmas time.
It is imperative
that this work
is done always,
and even more:
it is imperative
that every day
Jesus is born
again among us.
When in fact man
learns the
sublime message
of the Gospel
and has his
Master in his
heart, the past
of mistakes,
sorrows, hatred,
bitterness, will
disappear and be
appeased, and
buried – the
fights will be
forgotten. There
will be peace on
Earth.
We then, will
have every day,
a new CHRISTMAS,
Jesus’ birthday.
Merry Christmas
to all those who
enjoy health;
for those who
enjoy a stable
financial
position; for
those who were
awarded a
balanced family.
Merry Christmas
for those who
suffer from an
incurable
disease; for
those who are
hungry and cold
and deprived of
everything,
living in severe
poverty; for
those who live
with a troubled
family. For
these brothers,
may Christmas
bring hope of a
new life free
from the
sufferings that
torment their
souls.
And when we
thing about the
Nativity of
Christ, about
what the
presence of
Jesus on Earth
means, we may
try, even if
shyly, to start
our inner
renewal.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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