Christmas, Sign of Hope and Joy

Christmas is a special time of year when love and hope are renewed in our hearts. The birth of Christ makes us realize that we are in God's hands, his birth has come to make us aware of the greatness of the human being. From the beginning to the end of life, Christ is with us.

Christ invites us to live hope as the engine that displaces our lives every day, that pushes and encourages us. For this, let us smile at life and live it with joy, because our Savior is there to give us this full joy in God's Love.

We are aware that we all find it difficult to decide to practice laughter, to live in continuous joy, because the  great  problems, the vital problems, which shake us at all levels, worry us and plunge us into deep sadness; but the human being knows that it was created to be happy and that joy is the great strength that allows us to overcome all possible obstacles. 

Joy, like almost everything in our lives, is a choice. We choose to be joyful and do so at every moment of our lives. The joyful person laughs at everything and for everything; his laughter is deep and springs from faith, hope and love. It is faith in the Lord's presence that fills us with joy and inspires us to live in permanent joy; it is the trust we have in the Lord that fills us with peace and strength.

The power of joy is immense. We know that a little joy is worth more than all the gold of the world and its power is immense. There are countless advantages of a simple smile: it drives away sadness, melancholy, depression; rejuvenates us, heals the wounds of the past, opens horizons and puts wings to the soul. Smiling is the best remedy for the body and for the soul. The book of Proverbs is clear when he says, "He who has joy in his heart lives a permanent feast." 

 Put joy in your life. That must be our task. Yes, aware of the power of joy, we must put joy in our lives, at dawn and dusk. Being joyful at dawn, when the light begins to appear, when everything is fine, when applause and success multiply, then smiling is very easy. It is not so much when night is approaching, when all the lights are off to you, when the soul comes to unravel, when the most beautiful projects collapse, when the heartbreaks, when the roads go up, then it is very difficult to get up, to start over with joy, as if nothing had happened. Then you have to make a greater effort to smile, to stay cheerful, even if it is difficult.

"Jesus is joy, you don't need to look anywhere else!" said Pope Francis. St. Paul urged the Thessalonians and Philippians to always be in the joy of the Lord. Jesus came to bring joy to all and forever; His presence is the cause of our true joy. If we look at him, we will be filled with great joy and will be able to smile "at noon and in the middle of the night."

Father Frankelo (of Santo Domingo), translated by Christian Liebenguth