Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, bishop emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and head of the Doctrine of Faith at the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM), offers readers of Exaudi his weekly article.
LOOK
A young woman from my town who spent some years with an organized crime group and was thus involved in many immoral actions decided to change her life and leave that group. Now, she is preparing to receive her Confirmation and make her First Communion. The need for God in her life and her dissatisfaction with what she was doing made her return to Jesus, to find in Him the peace of her soul that she so longed for.
Our Catholic Church launched a proposal for a truce from the armed groups during December 12 and 25, on the occasion of the feasts of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Christmas. However, they do not pay attention and continue with the same thing, because what matters to them is to make more and more money, extorting, kidnapping, stealing, and killing. Certainly, the government cannot propose a truce, because crime must be subdued at all times and places. If these groups accepted Jesus in their hearts, they would not harm anyone and they would respect everyone. Even if they call themselves Catholics, they are so by tradition, not by conviction. Life changes completely when someone decides to follow Jesus and live according to his Word. And the same can be said of so many people who, during these December holidays, do not have a place for God and to make others happier, but rather plan only their personal and perhaps family enjoyment. That is not Christmas!
45 years ago, I made my will. What I want to leave are not material things, because I have decided not to have more than what is essential, but to share my life experience. I wrote then, and I confirm it now: “It is worth listening to the Lord!!!” What He tells us and the path He proposes to us is the surest way to be happy, to be someone, to make sense of life. I have become convinced of this through my own life experience. And as I have had the opportunity to meet many people on a very deep level, I can say with complete certainty that as long as someone does not decide to listen to the Lord, as long as they do not accept to practice His Word, they will never find total inner peace, they will never be completely happy, no matter how many things, money or emotional experiences they may have.
When I have let myself be carried away by the environment or by my own inclinations, and I have not lived according to His Word, I have felt sad, alone, distressed, afraid and without inner peace. But He understands me more than I understand myself; He gives me new strength and, with Him, I am fighting and triumphing. Through my life experience, I can assure you that IT IS WORTH LISTENING TO THE LORD. How I wish that everyone would get to know Jesus, that they would have the experience of letting themselves be led by Him… Their whole life would change. And for those who do not believe me, I would only suggest that they try it.
DISCERN
The Mexican episcopate, in the Global Pastoral Project 2031+2033, encourages us to seek in Jesus the source of personal, family and social peace: “The heart of the Kingdom of God is ‘shalom’, peace. This rich and expressive biblical word includes much more than the absence of war and violence; in it, we achieve all the well-being and harmony that God provides for his children for a healthy harmony with Him, with other brothers, with himself and with nature. For us believers, peace is a Person, it is the Gift of love of God par excellence, it is Jesus Christ himself (cf. Eph 2:14) who, in his mystery of Redemption, has come to restore our image as children of God in Him and to reconcile all peoples with Him. Thus, when we speak of a task and commitment of the Church for peace, we are not only thinking of acts of violence against human life and all the injustices that provoke it, but we want to put Jesus and his Kingdom of Life at the center of our life so that it may grow and be established, because peace is a task and a commitment for all people, which must be welcomed in daily life” (PGP 174).
Pope Francis, from the beginning of his pontificate in 2013, wrote: “I invite every Christian, wherever and whenever he or she may be, to renew his or her personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least to make the decision to let himself or herself be found by Him, to try to do so every day without ceasing. This is the moment to say to Jesus Christ: Lord, I have let myself be deceived, in a thousand ways I have escaped from your love; but here I am again to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Rescue me again, Lord, accept me once more into your redeeming arms. ’ It does us so much good to return to Him when we have lost our way! I insist once again: God never tires of forgiving, it is we who tire of turning to his mercy. He takes us back on his shoulders again and again. No one can take away from us the dignity that this infinite and unbreakable love gives us. He allows us to lift our heads and start over, with a tenderness that never disappoints us and that can always restore our joy. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never declare ourselves dead, no matter what happens. May nothing be more powerful than his life that propels us forward!” (EG 3).
ACT
Do you want your Christmas not to be superficial and vain? Look for Jesus; get to know him; talk to him; open your heart to him, decide to follow in his footsteps and be close to him. You will find peace for your heart and help build family and social peace.
