The month of candles, lanterns, stars, and the favourite sweets is here. More than ever the sweetest month of the year and a month of gifts in galore even to/for the most unexpected ones! why so… even to the least… yes, indeed! Because for the least is the One who is coming and for the ones whom God in the history of salvation planned and deign the forerunner(John the Baptist) for the much awaited and audacious meeting at the river Jordan to rewrite the history of one God to One God in three persons through the Baptism of Jesus, the only Begotten, Beloved of God – as declared by the Voice.
Nowadays, the pandemic could not and cannot contain, take away the spirit of the vibrant streets, the multi-coloured marketplace dandling with the stars and decorations of the festive season! Yes, need not be only Goans but the world is humming on the beat of the song.. ‘Christmas is here’: I see the candles glow in the windows, I hear the church bells starting to chime, and millions of snowflakes falling from heaven, turning the world from grey to white. Even the hardest hearts cannot deny the magic in the air and let’s adore him, lift up your voices, sing it out loud and sing it out clear, Christmas is here!.
With pandemic/with lockdowns, no-thing can dampen the spirit of the Krist-anv! And a hard truth… many make their living on account of this season with lavish spending by the Christians community.
Moreover, the revival of the drooping spirit through the Word made the best of the communication skills, as our Pope says: “that you may tell your next generations…stories…” certainly, indeed this pandemic have given us ample of stories to tell our grand children and great grand children, the vivifying scenes of closed doors; empty containers; limited distributions of rations; favourite shows going offline; the masks and a dampened family spirit rejuvenated! As the Word the double aged sword pierced the inner recesses when the Prophet Isaiah reminded us of the promise made by God that he would send us a Saviour: “A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called “Wonderful Counsellor”, “mighty God”. “Eternal Father”, “Prince of Peace”. His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David’s successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The Almighty is determined to do all this”. Is. 9: 6-7.
In fact the Gaudete Sunday sets the tone. It’s time to rejoice and cry out with joy and gladness, for the Lord is at hand. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in our midst, we have no further misfortune to fear. Today there’s a call to all the faithful from the Hierarchy of the Diocese, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao. He calls upon the faithful together with the family, on the four Sundays of the season: to prepare wreathe; the family star; the crib; the traditional sweets, and the cleanliness of the house and its surroundings simultaneously decorating the same but with less spending. Through cut down expenses to use the same to reach out to the less fortunate! Above all, as a family to pray and make sacrifices for the next door family as a spiritual gift for Christmas!
