Daniel Comboni
Comboni Missionaries
Institutional area
Other links
Newsletter
Happy New Year 2018
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
This beautiful video, popped up from the archives, seems as an excellent way to wish Happy New Year. St. Francis, tells St. Bonaventure, "from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister. Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behavior. If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously.
The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled." (Laudato Sì, No. 11). In his message for Peace, Pope Francis, referring to immigrants invites us this year to four "actions": welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating. I believe it is the best wish for all the dimensions of our life: that in 2018 we always know how to welcome, protect, promote and integrate. Happy New Year!