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December 10, 2022
Abu Dhabi.
Bishop Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap. writes to the children of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia on the occasion of Christmas 2022. Below is the full text of his letter.
I am happy to send my best wishes for the coming Holy Christmas.
HOLY CHRISTMAS: PEACE COMES FROM HEAVEN
Dear children,
Christmas is a wondrous Feast.
Let us joyfully celebrate baby Jesus' birth in our churches and families!
But who is Jesus, and why are we having a big feast at Christmas?
Jesus is the Son of God, born of Mary, for our salvation.
Heaven and earth are united forever in Him.
Jesus came down from Heaven to dwell among us to bring divine light into our hearts.
Jesus brought us God's love.
We can be sure: he will never leave us alone.
In these days before Christmas, we prepare for this great feast in the Church and with our families. There are many traditions to prepare for Christmas, all these traditions are precious. The nativity scene is prepared in the houses: the crib.
As you may know, this is my first Christmas with you.
We prepare the grotto with Mary and Joseph, the donkey, the ox and the sheep.
In this crib, we will place baby Jesus.
A magnificent tree is prepared with lights of different colours.
It is the sign of Jesus, who is the light of the World.
But the most beautiful thing is to prepare our hearts to meet Jesus.
May he find in our hearts a place to come and live and celebrate with us.
We welcome baby Jesus among and in us.
Pope Francis sent me here just a few months ago as your Bishop.
Therefore, I would like to visit your families and stay with you, your parents, brothers and sisters.
Since it is not possible to come to each of your homes,
I will reach you with this letter.
I want to remind you of the great gift that baby
Jesus brings us: Peace.
Peace comes from above, from Heaven. Jesus is our Peace.
This precious gift must enter our hearts.
Our hearts must be like a crib prepared to welcome Jesus, the prince of Peace.
But we can't just keep this gift only for ourselves.
We can't just keep it in our hearts.
Peace must shine on our faces.
May the Peace of Christmas make our faces bright.Dear children, show your bright shining face, which brings the Peace of Jesus to
everyone.
Jesus forgives us and reconciles us with each other and with God the Father.
This great gift makes us happy.
With this joy in our hearts, we shake hands with different people, and all feel closer.
With Jesus in our hearts, no one is alone anymore; no one is more distant and
stranger: we are all brothers and sisters.
We are all called to become one family, the family of God's children.If I could enter your homes, I would sing this song with you:
The Peace is coming from Heaven,
Deep in my heart
It takes on my face
I'm shaking your hand
I'm not more alone
You're not far awayDear children, I keep you in my heart
and pray that the joy of Holy Christmas
will always accompany you.May the Lord give you Peace and Blessings!
+ Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap
Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia
Download the letter [PDF]