The future of the Association of the Holy Family of Bordeaux a challenge to move forward prophetically as we celebrate our 203rd foundation anniversary on Trinity Sunday 2023
203 Years of existence as a Family is a Miracle that calls for a fitting celebration by the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles. The birth of the Association of the Holy Family of Bordeaux was on a very significant Feast of the Church – the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity – on May 28th 1820. It is our Holy Family Tradition as the Founder wanted it to be – to celebrate our Foundation Anniversary on Trinity Sunday. It’s not merely a remembrance or commemoration but a reality to be celebrated with deep gratitude in our hearts, counting the numerous Blessings that the Lord lavishly showered on us from the beginning of the Holy Family Foundation since 1820.
A Flash-back of our Past which is so precious to us that we remembered with gratitude during our Bicentenary Celebration, we see now the additional 03 years as a continued miracle that sustains the depth of our Charism lived by the Five Vocations of the Holy Family in the spirit of God Alone with Mission Communion. We have realized the urgent calls and the need to become more visible and relevant in today’s World that is rapidly changing and the need to accelerate our speed in “Numbers and virtues, works and good example” as our Founder says to catch up with the Signs of the Times which perhaps signaling us to keep  ‘pace’ to avoid being left behind. We are to be a ”Charismatic Family” with a prophetic vision and voice to proclaim the Good News in a language of ’life’ lived authentically to a World in rapid progress of modern technology, advanced theories and philosophy that questions even the existence and the Presence of God and the handiwork of God’s Creation.
The past Three Years were crucial so to say and as life-giving, as we looked back on our Past, taking seriously our Present in order to move our way towards the Future together as Family, challenging ourselves to become a “Charismatic Family”, “to be new wine bursting old skins” and to take up the challenge to embark on a journey to “cross over to the other shore.” This genuine discovery of ours as a Family needed a definite Response in many directions to change our course to meet and to be relevant to the World of today. We questioned and were cautioned about our Numbers, Values, Lifestyle, Witness, and that quality as well quantity too is a priority. We are more than satisfied that we are “jack of all trade” as the saying goes and we begin to see perhaps the reality that we are “master of none” in some way as the manpower and skills-ability is concerned, that we are not strong and vibrant enough to meet the needs of the global standards that provides us with the possibilities and opportunities to  be a “change” ourselves and to’ transform’ the lives of others.
With solid rootedness in our Charism and Spirituality, we are now challenged to believe that “drinking from our own well” is not at all the vision and dream of our Founder but allowing and making way for All to drink from our own Well and we move towards the “Common Well” of the People to drink from the free flow of their life, struggles and dreams to deepen our sense of Being and Building Family. In this sense, the challenge now is to become more “visible”, making ourselves known far and wide for our quality of Holy Family Way of life, our Witnessing to Communion and more so to become “Skilled” Workers in the Lord’s Vineyard. Let us no longer be known for our ‘passive’ presence and collaborative action.  Let us recall our “sacred Past”
when Holy Family stood out for its Own Projects and Activities, discipline and Qualitative Education and open to all the needs mentioned as the Seven Branches of the Holy Family during our beloved Founder’s time, which were the priorities of that time.  
NOW, the Signs of the Times are compelling the PBN Family to be more equipped to respond to the many and varied situations and perhaps more dangerous and undesirable situations that we see, hear and witness in our World today, in the Political, Social, Economic, Health, Cultural, Religious, Scientific, Justice and Peace, Ecological and Family situations with the overall influence of Mass Media that call for immediate responses from the Five Vocations of the Holy Family to become visible as qualified and skilled “Labourers” in the Lord’s Vineyard and to take up the challenge to let the Holy Family Members to become active participants in the arena of the World’s situations and to penetrate all walks of life with their expertise on Political matters as Law-makers to stand for Justice and Peace to live our Corporate Commitment meaningfully, as Sociologists to uphold Values Education, Doctors and Med-Techs and Nurses in Health field, Economists in a world situation that cater for the rich and disregard the Poor, Religious Evangelizers to uphold the Gospel Values, Scientists to give witness to the God of all Creation and to save Mother Earth,  as Counsellors and Psychologists to safeguard the “Nuclear Family” from the many dangers that threaten to destroy the sacredness of Marriage and the harm done to the Children in numerous ways including Child abuse, domestic violence and the abuse of vulnerable Adults. The visible and Active presence of the Five Holy Family Vocations is a must and a priority in all these grave and glaring situations!
It’s time Now, that we as PBN Family, work hard to give birth to “Expertise and Skilled Labourers” needed for the Signs of the Times in order to be relevant and to be become outstanding in our Holy Family Ministries that are tangible, prophetic and humanitarian. It is the FUTURE for us as PBN Family, to let our Charism of Communion shine through Being and Building Family in our down-to-earth responses to signify the “Purpose of our existence in the 3rd Century” focusing on our forward journey to make our determination come true in crossing over to the other shore. We vow not to remain as on-lookers or passive audience but a Family that understood the reality of the Dream of our Founder !
Happy and blessed 203rd  Foundation Anniversary to the PBN Family!
 
Sr. Ida Joseph
Philippines
 
 

Dear sisters and brothers, I greet you on this Easter with these words of Pope Francis. May the joy and peace of the Risen Jesus be in your hearts.
“How beautiful is a Church that can run this way through the streets of our world! Without fear, without schemes and stratagems, but solely with the desire to lead everyone to the joy of the Gospel. That is what we are called to do: to experience the risen Christ and to share the experience with others; to roll away the stone from the tomb where we may have enclosed the Lord, in order to spread his joy in the world. Let us make Jesus, the Living One, rise again from all those tombs in which we have sealed him. Let us set him free from the narrow cells in which we have so often imprisoned him. Let us awaken from our peaceful slumber and let him disturb and inconvenience us. Let us bring him into our everyday lives: through gestures of peace in these days marked by the horrors of war, through acts of reconciliation amid broken relationships, acts of compassion towards those in need, acts of justice amid situations of inequality and of truth in the midst of lies. And above all, through works of love and fraternity”. (Pope Francis, Easter Vigil 2022)
HAPPY EASTER !!!
 

Lent is a  most important time for all of us as we reflect on the sacrificial love of our redeemer on the Cross. A grace-filled time is given to us to journey with ourselves and experience Jesus’ companionship in our life journey. Jesus’ mission is to bring the scattered children into one family, the Family of God. He was always faithful to the mission entrusted to him and fulfilled it till his last breath. Through participation and  communion, the Synod carries out the same mission, participating and coming  together for the purpose for which God came on earth, lived among human beings, and died for the salvation of all.
We, the Holy Family Sisters in Pakistan, are trying to live and promote that mission, according to our context. Each one of us likes to have the company of others on our journeys. The companionship of others or the presence of others on a journey makes us peaceful and comfortable. To celebrate and make this a  faith-filled Lenten and synodal journey for our catechism children in the school, we arranged a day with an activity to explain to them the process in a creative way. We started the day with a prayer service and explained each symbol used in the logo of the synod. We also made small paper hands and footsteps on which to write something in answer to the question, “What help do I need from the Holy Spirit on this journey?” All the children were wrote their papers with great interest, and finally we pasted on the globe and logo of the synod.
During this Lenten season, we try to participate in the lives of the people, sharing in their sorrows and joys. In one of our villages, served by the  Priest Associate Fr. Waqar Amir, some Christian women were mistreated in the workplace by people of other religions. This issue became serious, and it was reported on the 52 news channels and in the newspapers too. We, the Holy Family Sisters, were with the people in all the situations, including meeting the village council and police station, etc. This way, we were able to participate and bring communion in the mission that is entrusted us.  
In all our communities, we are trying our best to walk the Synodal journey by living the spirit of Lent. We decided to depict the 14th station of the Cross and some clips from the movie Passion of the Christ on the big screen every Friday. We conducted the Stations of the Cross in today’s context with the theme of the Synod. We presented it every Friday in different churches and during the week to the Associates, youth, and children in our school, as well as to the Sunday catechism children. We are happy that we were able to help the people to walk in the synodal journey…
In Gojra, we worked as a team to gather people in one place and presented the Way of the Cross to them. We were joined by Fr. Waqar Amir, our Priest Associate, who is ready to help us at all times. We, the Sisters, Formees and Fr. Waqar Amir always worked as a team for the success of this program. A lot of people took part in this faith journey to experience the unconditional love of God to humanity.  
May God always use us as His instruments to strengthen the faith of the people and to live and spread the mission of Communion with love and zeal.
                       
 
Sr.Saima IQBAL
Pakistan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The heart’s aim of women religious is to express their charism by demonstrating God’s love through acts of service in SRI LANKA. We 9 participants from women religious congregations gathered together, as one body at NayakaKanda, Good Shepherd Convent, Wattala, Colombo, on 27th morning during the month of January 2023.
Together we are convinced that now is the best time to embark on our project  [Child Care for Children Sri Lanka] CCCSL as many children and families are being affected by the current situation in Sri Lanka and that is, unfortunately, continuing to worsen with each passing day.
As of the 31st August 2022, headline inflation was documented at 64.3% and as of the 27th  of  September,  food inflation increased to  94.9%  Against this backdrop, families are being compelled to give up their children to institutional care as they are unable to make ends meet.  A vast number of social problems have arisen with greater intensity including homelessness, suicide, robberies, and underworld criminal activities as a  result of the crisis. Our experience of working together for the past two years has helped the women congregations to motivate each other, to share our expertise and learnings, and to explore the possibility of moving towards family care.  This experience gave CCCSL immense hope in working together toward one
goal and changing the approach in the care sector. We are  really  proud   to  say  that  this  is  the  first  time  women  religious have been  working   together in the childcare  sector.  CCCSL  believes  that  this intensive work  will  touch  and motivate other congregations of women religious  to  possibly  embrace  care reform.   
The church is recognized for providing childcare services in the Island, when it takes initiatives for reintegration; the non-government organizations will support the implementation of childcare reform too. Eight Holy Family Sisters from both Colombo and Jaffna Units participated passionately in the workshop. It was an invitation to carry out the mission of care reform in our own Units.   As the coordinator for this   special task, I remember the word: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you PROTECT them” (St.John17:15)
On the first day Dr. Sohani Fernando, an Independent consultant, and a licensed clinical social worker was with us in sharing her experiences on the impact of institutional care on children. She asked us to remember, and draw on some of our childhood memories. Her input clearly explained the Global Trends in caring for Children. We were inspired to look at it from a different perspective, under the following headings:
Global Trends in caring for Children- Current Conditions
Sri Lanka’s Current Position on Institutionalization
The National Alternative care Policy for Children in Sri Lanka
Children in alternative care systems
Children in Contact or Conflict with the Law
We were awakened to reunification and reintegration. This Section focuses on children who have been removed from their families to ensure their safety and is based on the principle that the first goal is to reunite and re-integrate them with their families as soon as possible.
On the second day Sr. Saminthini, RDS, the coordinator of the CCCSL moved us to understand our purpose of this journey. She emphasized the importance of journeying together to transform care for children. She presented a report on the Catholic Care for Children Sri Lanka’s project Proposal- 1st Phase. We all studied together. According to census data taken in 2019, there are 10,632 children in 379 Child Care Institutions (CCCSL) across the Island nation. Our Vision is framed as:
 “Women religious are champions in reforming the  Child Care Sector in Sri Lanka creating families and family-like care with loving, healthy, and protective environment.”
We are aware of the urgent need to strengthen families with the best parenting skills and other essential spiritual, educational, health, and livelihood support.
On the third day, we presented this proposal to work on it. We observed everyone enthusiastic to implement the said project.
“We are the World, We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day just you and me”.
Sr.Nirosa Pathmasenan
Jaffna, SRI LANKA

On 1 February 2023, we had the profound joy of participating in the Eucharist celebrated by Pope Francis on the occasion of his visit to the DRC. The deep desire we had was to listen to him and to be blessed by the successor of Peter.
In this context of wars, killings, injustice and multiform crises that the DRC is going through, particularly in the East of the country, the announcement of his arrival meant that the whole Congolese population was waiting for the Vicar of Christ with great hope and his message as a source of comfort…
His landing on Congolese soil aroused intense joy in everyone, young and old,  Christians and non-Christians alike.
The Holy Father stressed the long-awaited comfort in his homily: “The peace that Jesus gives us is like a greeting, but also like a gift. (Jn. 20:19). Peace comes when everything seems to be over; Jesus reaches out to us when we are on the verge of sinking”. Above all, it is Peace that the Congolese people are asking for, and the Supreme Pontiff exhorted us to draw from three sources can help us to cultivate peace: forgiveness, community and mission.
Forgiveness: an attitude that consists in opening one’s heart to others with love. This is what Jesus did in the face of the wretchedness of those who denied and abandoned him. He shows his wounds and opens the wellspring of mercy. When things are not going well, we know where to look, to the wounds of Jesus. With Jesus there is always the possibility of forgiving and starting again, and the strength to forgive ourselves, others and history. Let us open the doors of our hearts to his peace.
The community: Jesus does not address his disciples individually, but he meets them together, in community; he speaks to them in the plural. There is no Christianity without community, there is no peace without brotherhood. In order not to fall into the trap of the spirit of worldliness, we must share with the poor, look at the poor and listen to them, for they are the members of our community. We have to open our hearts to others.
Mission: “As the father sent me, so I send you” Jn 20:21. The father sent him to serve and give his life for humanity (Mk 10:45). He sent him for all. We are called to be missionaries of peace and this will bring us peace in return. It is a choice, and it means making room in our hearts for all. It is to believe that ethnic, social, regional and religious differences are not obstacles, but riches; to believe that others are members of the same human community, to believe that all are recipients of the peace brought into the world by Jesus. A call to be the conscience of peace in the world, to collaborate with all, to break down violence, to be witnesses of love.
Personally, I was touched by this third source of peace which is linked to our Holy Family mission: “unity in diversity”, in other words, welcoming difference to promote collaboration, and bring peace and life to all. This is what Jesus expects of us. And if I look closely, I discover that this is what our society and our living environments need so much. We need audacity, courage and a solid faith to correspond to the mission that Christ gave to his Church, the same mission that our  Founder received.
Sr. Estelle LADZOU 
Community of Bibwa/ Kinshasa/DRC

Meditating on the testimony of those who were present during the Eucharistic Miracle, we too can feel the astonishment, the wonder and the joy at this manifestation of the Lord Jesus. At a time when the Good Father’s work was beginning to  take shape, he and his first daughters were wondering about the future of this foundation. Would it prosper? Would there be enough money to carry out the work? In the secret of their hearts, they might have prayed: “Lord, tell us what you want; give us a sign…”. And then, totally unexpectedly, Jesus gives himself to be contemplated, to be listened to, as a gift of the Father’s tenderness to his children: “I am He who is and there is no other…”.
Today, each of us is invited to give thanks personally for this manifestation of the Lord in our life, for these gifts that make us understand that God walks with us and that we do his will, like Jesus.
“I am He who is, and there is no other…”. These words of Jesus, this face of Jesus, draw us into silent adoration. Jesus gives himself to be known, to be loved. His face is engraved in my heart, in my memory. He is the Lord I love. I will always have to welcome him, to discover him more and more. His words echo in my heart, in my memory. Lord, your words are Life, they light my way. They show me the will of the Father. They console me and tell me of your love, your forgiveness, your trust. You entrust them to me so that, through me, the disciple you send on mission, others may hear the Good News of your love for humanity.
Today, each of us is invited to make a symbolic bouquet of flowers with these words which are our treasure. Like the Good Father, let us dare to write these words which are for us the Word of God. Let us offer them to our God. Let us taste them as words of life.
“I am, and [Apart from me] there is no other …”. As a Contemplative Sister recently wrote: “Me” in the Scriptures means “God saves” and is one of the names of God. The Eucharistic Miracle plunges us into the Mystery of Salvation. Jesus, who is blessing us, is the God who saves us. To listen to the Lord, to walk in the light of his Word, is to choose life”.  We renew this choice at each Eucharistic communion. God gives Godself as the food of eternal life. God blesses us. In our turn, strengthened by the presence of the Lord in us, we become bearers of life. We become a “blessing” to all those whose lives we share.
Today, each of us is invited to live more fully this mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist giving his Life and blessing all creatures. How good it is to love, to be loved and to bring others to love Him who is all love: Jesus our Lord and our God.
As we close the commemoration of the bicentenary of the Eucharistic Miracle as a Family, I would like to share with you what this sign, which the Lord has given to our Holy Family, means to me.
Eucharistic adoration gives me the joy of contemplating the face of the Lord in an ever new and privileged way. He is the One Who Is and whom I will never be done loving and knowing on this earth.
United with Jesus, one comes to see every person with his eyes, and to love them the way He does. We can only love them, want the best for them, want them to know Jesus in whom we find our joy and our happiness.
Receiving the Body of Christ makes me enter into deep communion not only with the Lord but also with all living beings. How good the Lord is to have created us to love Him forever. How beautiful is this earth in which we have been called to live. Everything sings, proclaims, expresses God. Yes, everything expresses God’s goodness, God’s beauty, God’s immense glory.
May the Lord bless our Family, each and every one of us.
Jean-Louis Despeaux,
Priest Associate in Bordeaux. France.

I would like to begin by thanking Sister Micheline Kenda for the initiative to celebrate the 25 years of the presence of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux in Rwanda.  Celebrating the silver jubilee of lives given and received is to acknowledge the presence of the unconditional Love of God in the history of the Holy Family in Rwanda.
On this day of December 30, 2022, my heart exults with joy and I give thanks to the Lord because I have seen our Holy Family Charism blossom and take root in Rwanda.
However, as one of the pioneers, I would like to humbly share with you what remains with me the most from our experience at the beginning of our mission in Rwanda, and what has accompanied me during my 21 years in the Rushaki community.
Our community life marked and strengthened me a lot.
A community life that radiated joy, open to all without distinction. The simplicity of daily life, with a sense of humour, forgetting oneself, each one trying to give the best of herself.
A community where Christ was at the centre of our daily life, seeking to go to the essentials.
A community aware of its mission and inclusion, but also aware of the vulnerability of its members.
Our intercultural presence: race, languages and ages was, I believe, a visible sign that in Jesus Christ communion is possible.
A community that did not wait for people to come to it, but went out to them.
A community that celebrated the joyful moments and also shared the moments of hardship with those around.
A community where the poor, the little ones, the neglected were at the centre of their attention and who together with them, had the joy of trying to lift them out of their misery and give them their dignity.
A very courageous community whose members dared to go to great lengths even at the risk of their own lives. Thank you, Lord.
And I still remember that the people, lay people, priests, religious who were with us, emphasised this aspect of joy that characterised us, and also our Bishop SERVILIEN who at that time said to us: “your community radiates joy”. And to tease us, he added: “change the name of the Holy Family to Joyful Sisters”. I believe that this joy came from the fact that we were very united among ourselves, and conscious of our insertion at a time when Rwanda was divided, torn apart by what had happened during the war/genocide, whose mission was to witness that in Jesus Christ, communion is possible.
Our presence, I believe, was a great comfort to the people of Rushaki.
Today once again, I thank the Lord for all the Sisters who gave their lives so that our charism could take root in this land, and that today we experience the joy of seeing Holy Family vocations in Rwanda.
Praise the Lord especially for the courage and audacity of Sister Joy and her Council, who dared to risk at such a critical moment, saying yes to the mission and sending us to Rwanda.
Praise the Lord for the trust that Sister Agueda MACIAS and her council in Congo had in me, sending me so young to the mission only two months after of my First Vows.  
Praise the Lord for the courage of each of the foundresses: Maria Jesùs GOICOCEA, Franca LEONE, Agnès de PAUW, Christine IBANGA and myself, Jacqueline IMBUNGU who responded generously to the insertion of the Holy Family of Bordeaux in Rwanda. We were not afraid of reality, but rather joyful in our hearts knowing that Christ and the Holy Spirit were ahead of us.
Praise the Lord for the community life that strengthened me so much, and really gave me the impetus and the joy to give myself totally.
Thank you Lord, thank you for your infinite Love;
Thank You for all that You were for us at the beginning;
Thank You for all that You continue to be;
Thank You for all that You will be for the future of the Holy Family in Rwanda.
     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sr.Jacqueline IMBUNGU
Community of Orta di Atella /Italy

When we pause for a moment to think critically about our celebrations, we realize that many of them are related to our customs and traditions, with variations according to cultures, religions and the various situations on our planet. All of them, however, agreed upon by historical and social circumstances, are charged with symbolism – an expression of the meaning of life in its most diverse manifestations.
This is also how we celebrate the New Year, the end of one year and the beginning of a new one.
We celebrate to welcome a new chapter in our lives, a new opportunity for our deepest wishes to come true and we wish for a happy new year, because we would like to be able to “turn the page” of the year, marking the end of a stage, being able to leave certain things behind, not to carry over into the next year everything that was negative. This deep desire for transformation, celebrated collectively, brings renewed energy that pushes us towards more and better.
The first day of January was proclaimed the World Day of Peace by Pope Paul VI.
The word peace is pronounced and repeated countless times in the New Year wishes we exchange among ourselves. Yes, we desire peace.
But in this world marked by wars, conflicts and violence of all kinds, peace seems an unattainable utopia. We experience an uncomfortable sense of impotence and ambiguity.
We also know that the end of tensions between peoples and nations comes about through conscious decisions taken in view of this goal. So we can and must ask ourselves: In what way am I/we, in our communities and groups, making conscious decisions to build peace?
The Christian faith renewed in the celebration of the Birth of Jesus, coloured by the Charism of Communion and Family that we share, impels us to be protagonists in new relationships, inspired by the values and virtues of our life models – Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We are challenged not only to hope and strive for peace – the absence of conflict – but to be a presence of peace, nurturing in ourselves and around us love, compassion, welcome, care…
As we welcome the first day of 2023, let us be led by the Spirit of God within, who takes us beyond chronological time, and let us celebrate this new year as Kairós, an opportunity for transformation in each one of us and around us.
Sr. Geni Dos Santos
General Councilor

Now is a favourable time to take a closer look at our life-models, the Holy Family of Nazareth. Who were they? They lived like the other families in the town of Nazareth.  I imagine that they lived with simplicity and kindness… Mary:  woman of unshakable faith in God, attentive neighbour, joyful companion, friend; faithful disciple of Yahweh, woman of hope,  waiting in silence for the Promise of God to be fulfilled,  and tenderly bringing up Jesus, her son. Joseph, a simple man, good neighbour, brother, cheerful worker… the carpenter, smoothing and polishing with firmness, teaching Jesus how to be the Son of God.
The family shared life itself with their neighbours, in ways that were invisible to human eyes, but real to the eyes of faith. God the Son was dwelling among them, this is what made them a Holy Family; their greatest purpose was to radiate with their lives the love of God that is community, divine Family. Our Good Father Pierre Bienvenu Noailles exhorts us to contemplate “…that Jesus, Mary and Joseph, gentle image of the Trinity be a source of inspiration”, he also urges us to “Go to Nazareth and contemplate”.
Nowadays, in a society where a great many people are indifferent to recognising God in their lives, the members of the PBN Family,  through our ordinary life together,  can transmit the Family Charism, which gives meaning to life, gives us joy and commits us to contemplate the virtues that the members of the Holy Family lived. “Insofar as feeble creatures can approach such perfect models, be gentle, compassionate and obedient like Jesus; humble, modest and pure, like Mary; poor, industrious and faithful like St. Joseph;  [be} worthy children of the Holy Family” PBN. We have a goal to accomplish.
It is of vital importance to cultivate this spiritual dimension for every person, particularly believers: to contemplate, to reflect on the way our lives can contribute to make more harmonious our living together in community or family. We need to meditate on our relationship with each one, asking ourselves some questions: Who are they for me? What is my commitment? What would J.M.J. do in my place?
The Holy Family became a family in a stable, and according to their life journey that is described for us in the gospels, they very soon began their pilgrimage through the world… it is clear that they were sent not only for Nazareth, but for the whole world; their lives were never for themselves, they are for God alone and they radiate their virtues for humanity. Let us embrace their way of life.
Sr. Rubeni PEJERREY
Peru – Latin America

A great king is born as a little child! The wise men come from afar to worship and pay homage to him.  Even though lying in a manger, he reigns over heaven and earth. Christmas celebrates the joyful and extraordinary event of the Son of God being born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, coming to live among us, becoming like us in all things except sin. The Christmas story reveals the humility of the Son of God who has become human for the sake of us humans.
During the Christmas season, we celebrate several other feasts. Among them is the feast of the Holy Innocents. These newly-born babes, not yet able to utter a word, yet speak aloud to us as we celebrate their feast today. They witness to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not through their words, but more eloquently, through their blood!
The Wise men coming from the East announce to King Herod that they are on their way to find   the new born King and to worship Him. Herod, who thirsts for power, feels threatened, and already determines to eliminate the One whom he considers his rival.
The martyrdom of children marks the very beginning of Christ’s life, life given up, in order that all may have life, life in abundance. All children of two years or under won the crown of martyrdom, shedding their blood for Christ. What a wonderful gift of grace. They are not yet able to express in words their faith in Christ, yet are privileged to become confessors of Christ and carry the palm of victory!
Children are a treasure that God gives our families, our nation and our world. Unfortunately, today they are exposed to abuse through the selfish motives of adults who use them for their pleasure, for child labour, as means of getting money by selling their organs, etc.
We as followers of Jesus are invited to give voice to the voiceless. We are called to follow the same path that he walked. He was sinless but endured much suffering.  We too, may have to endure insults and be exiles in this world. Jesus reminds us that there is no glory without the cross.
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belong to the world, the world would love you as its own but you are not of the world. I chose you out of the world and the world therefore hates you’’ (Jn 15:18-19). The word of God gives us courage and strength to give light to the world through our life and mission.
As we celebrate the Christmas season, we also face situations of poverty, war and political crises in many parts of the world. May the feast of the Holy Innocents give all of us the grace to let our life speak more eloquently than our words!
Sr. Sagaya Mary David, Contemplative
Nagoda, Sri Lanka