WE GIVE YOU THANKS WITH VIGOUR AND TENDERNESS

Today, Lord, we want to sing to you,

with our human voice

and our clumsy freethinking words

and our everyday language

that You understand so well,

because we can communicate with each other.

Since we are travellers in the train of life

and have stopped being islands,

and are walking along paths and through ponds,

across beaches, deserts, mountains and planes,

with your lively presence in this adventure,

we thank you with vigour and tenderness.

By our open personality which we share,

and our intimate one which we love so much,

and for our blind one that sometimes makes us afraid

and also due to our unknown personality that is coming into being,

by all that we are and share,

we thank you with vigour and tenderness.

By all the small and great paths

of communication, dialogue and meeting places:

by word and gesture with an open hand,

by smiles, winks, kisses and tears,

by a hearty hug and all our senses,

we thank you with vigour and tenderness.

By our eyes that know how to express our intimacies,

by our feet that draw us towards those who are lonely,

by our body which expresses our feelings

by our hearts which beat together,

by the one whose love brings us life,

we thank you with vigour and tenderness.

Because we have started out as fast as possible,

and have reached the house of the poor,

because there are stomachs filled with a lively spirit

and you are with us all along the way

as a pledge and sign of communciation,

we thank you with vigour and tenderness.

GOOD NEWS

And if you were my son or daughter,

whom I dearly love,

whom I made encarnate and sent

as Good News

for his brothers and sisters?

Look at my Father's heart

that doesn't lie,

but bleeds for loving so much.

Do you think it's a game

that I express my hopes in you

for you to be Good News

amongst your poorer brothers?

I speak as a Father

with a son whom I like,

who is your brother,

whose birthday you celebrate every year.

But---don't you know how he was Good News

for his brothers,

your brothers always?

Yes, I believe in You.

And I confirm there is a Christmas.

How could there not have been

if you are all trying to become rich

by making others poor!

How could there not have been

if you have made your good fortune

a triviality

and nothing pleases you!

I opened heaven for all time,

and I cannot turn away my eyes

from this earth, yours and mine,

in which so many people suffer.

And look about, and wait without knowing where.

Don't you see how much they want to receive the Good News,

so many many men and women,

your brothers, always?

I want you to understand and enjoy.

The mystery is not darkness

but depth of love and life.

That is the meaning of Christmas!

Don't distort it!

Do I ask the impossible,

to want you to change,

to become a new person,

who is born to life,

to your life and the lives of your poor brothers and sisters?

And I want the angels to sing once more:

"Peace on earth.

Today a saviour was born.

Be joyful!

Glory be to God!"

I wrote that and I want you

to put music to those letters

so you can sing it on earth

to your poor brothers.

I know I can't ask you anything,

because you are free...

You were born from my entrails

and you bear my seal and blood!

But don't ask me to stop being a Father,

to stop giving life,

to stop giving away the Good News, for free,

to you and your brothers and sisters,

because that is what I like doing.

Thank you for giving us Jesus. We ask that God may be born in everyones' hearts.