“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news and that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord….” (Luke 2: 10, 11)
Dear sisters and brothers, in the name and on behalf of the
entire family of the Council for World Mission, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Immanuel, “God with us”. 2020 may be described as a year of disruption, dislocation and, for many, despair. We believe, however, that this description does not represent the full story. 2020 has also been a year of imagination, creativity, adaptability and endurance. The brunt of the coronavirus has hit the world and has taken us to places we did not plan for. Notwithstanding, it has also been a year of immense heart-warming expression of generosity of spirit, of tenacity and of resilient hope. Today, we live with the pain of the loss of our dearly beloved family and friends who had to take that journey alone, without our presence, our touch and the performance of last rites according to our various faith and cultural traditions. And yet, we rejoice at the quality care that many received from frontline caregivers, who spared no effort and at great risk of exposure themselves, in the service of those who
contracted the virus and those who succumbed to its death-dealing vice. There has been an abundance of grace in the midst of pain. We reflect, with a certain degree of consternation, how fearful and grief-stricken we all became when we received the news that we, or our family members and friends, had contracted the virus. It was as though we received our death sentence. But we have weathered the storm, we have held firmly to our faith and we remain hopeful for better days ahead. Not only has close to 50 million of the 71 million confirmed cases been recovered, but we have stood together in a display of care and compassion towards one another. In so many ways, we have demonstrated that we are a family, bound together by our common humanity and our common quest for life in fullness. In these disruptive and disturbing times, we have experienced, in extraordinary ways, the spirituality of faith, of hope and of love, the most precious and priceless gift that we could ever expect or even imagine. Despite our fragilities and vulnerabilities, we have been strengthened and
June 2019 | 8
