To all the brothers and sisters of the Oases – Realities of
Koinonia John the Baptist
A Child is born for us!
Dear friends,
This Christmas 2022 I want, with all my heart, to send you many blessings not only of a ‘good’ Christmas but of a most ‘Happy’ Christmas. Here I mean ‘Happy’ in the fullest sense, full of the prosperity, which I have proclaimed for many years for every family of Koinonia John the Baptist: the fullness of joy, personal, family and community peace, and material well-being (the absence of financial worries or anxiety). While fully expressing these wishes in their fullest sense, I reassure you of my continuing prayers to the Lord: that with His Power, He might realise my best wishes for you and bring them to fulfilment. He is all-powerful and, by the strength of the Spirit, He can truly realise this Christmas blessing, which I firmly believe is the will of the Father.
As Founder of the Koinonia, I invite you to place yourself before the Christmas Crib, the genius creation of St Francis of Assisi, and dedicate time to contemplating the people present in that place where Luke affirms that Jesus was born. It is a sobering place, without any of the furniture and comforts found in our modern homes. I have to say that, all things considered, it is a very peaceful scene. The scene doesn’t include people or instruments that make us think of violence or brutal force. Instead, it reminds us more of the image of the family hearth, with its characteristic warmth, harmony and festive welcome. Looking at the people present, begin with Mary. You will inevitably perceive the presence of tender, sweet and all-embracing love: this is a mother’s love. We are invited to think of Mary as the one who covers and protects us through her powerful intercession. This is why for centuries Christians have called her virgo potens. She is ready to help and succour us in every difficult and uneasy situation, which we all find ourselves in sooner or later. For this reason, the people of God have also named her auxilium christianorum, the ‘help of Christians’. All these emotions, which contemplating Mary arouses in our hearts, help us to comprehend what the Church proclaims of her in revealed truth. She is Mater Dei, Theotòkos, Mother of God; Mater Divinæ Gratiæ, the Mother of Divine Grace.
Contemplating the Child Jesus, the thought that comes spontaneously to us is platytera ton ouranon (‘more vast than the heavens’). He, the one that the world cannot contain, is present in Mary’s womb. He is God made flesh, the mystery of the Word Incarnate, who demands to be welcomed as the Truth revealed, with amazement and thanksgiving.
Contemplating Joseph, we are given the image of a docile person, an always trustworthy man. He is someone who is ready to fulfil what he is told from on high, just as emerges from the Gospel narrative. He is a strong figure, someone who is reliable because his role requires robustness.
I conclude by inviting you to pray before the Christmas Crib, that the Lord makes us like children: placing our trust in the Father, certain in the tenderness of our Mother, and wanting to identify with the Son, allowing ourselves to be guided by the Spirit: to make real and make shine, along with other members of the Church in the Body of Christ, one of the four marks of the Church: unity!
I wish you the happiest Christmas,
Your dear Founder,
Fr. Ricardo
