Wishing you and your family a Holy Advent and a Blessed Christmas

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
(St. Augustine)

Dear Friends,

In every cell of our body and in the DNA of our souls there is always an ache and longing for something yet to come. We long for becoming a better person, having better health and being in better shape, a better home, a better community, better financial performance. Entertainment industry thrives on our longing for becoming leaner or more beautiful, winning The Voice, X-Factor, American Idol, Next Top Model or the Super Bowl…  We ache in a way that often leaves us dissatisfied and restless inside.

The Season of Advent, which begins this coming Sunday, celebrates that human longing and restlessness. It asks us not to deny them, but to enter them, deepen them, widen them. Longing shapes our souls in many ways. Longing carves out a trough, creates a space within us where something new can be born, where God can be born.

And Christmas is God’s answer to that human longing and restlessness. But God’s answer didn’t exactly meet our expectation. What our world expects is a superstar, someone charismatic, someone rich and famous, a superhero, someone with extraordinary talent, sharpness and muscle-power to out-gun everyone. God’s answer to that: a baby lying helpless in the straw – Jesus, our Savior! Like a baby, God does not out-muscle anyone, outgun anyone, threaten anyone, or overpower anyone. Instead, the power of God revealed in Christmas is the power of a baby, nothing more, nothing less – innocence, gentleness, helplessness, a vulnerability that softens hearts, invites us in, has us hush our noise, teaches us patience, brings us love, joy and peace, and calls forth what’s best in us. Such is the way of God in re-birthing a New You, re-creating a Precious You in His image and likeness. This is the message of Christmas.

As we continue Baby Jesus’ healing ministry in our Franciscan tradition, may we serve each other and our patients with a renewed vigor of gentleness, love, compassion, patience, peace and joy. Wishing you and your family a Holy Advent and a Blessed Christmas.

MISSION AND SPIRITUAL CARE TEAM

Merry Christmas from Franciscan Alliance

"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.'

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'"

--Luke 2:9-14

From all of us at Franciscan Physicians Hospital and Franciscan Alliance to all of you...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!