LET US PRAY
“For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given … his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
The promise of peace… peace in our lives, peace in our world… captures our hearts and mind as we enter another Advent season. Sometimes that peace that we so desire seems to be even more possible. As I write this, we are seeing the return of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the rockets over the Holy Land seem to have been quieted, adversaries are promising to work for a lasting peace. Prince of Peace, Princeps Pacis, the child born in a manger two thousand years ago is the author of that peace in a place that has been entombed in unrest for far too many years.
Let us continue to pray. And may the child who is the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts, in our families, in our lives and in war-scarred places around the world. This is my prayer, ever so possible this Christmas. And I hope it is yours.
In this hope and prayer, we bow to the enduring faith of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. Their strength in the face of hardship, especially during this recent conflict, is a living testimony to the Gospel of hope prevailing in the midst of great suffering. Their resilience challenges each of us to live out our faith with courage and hope, and to respond in charity.
Thanks to the generosity of individuals like you our benefactors, the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL) has carried out its Holy mission to preserve the Christian presence in the land of Christ’s birth. Your gifts allow us to support Christian families though humanitarian aid, education, and spiritual and medical assistance. In short, we put food on tables, healing within reach, and future nurses, doctors and architects into classrooms.
Can I count on you to help us continue this worthy mission this Christmas? Please respond generously. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps sustain a future for Christians in the Holy Land and affirms that they are not forgotten by the Body of Christ.
It’s Christmas, let us rejoice in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all – the Prince of Peace. May your heart and home be filled with peace, joy and the light of Christ this season.
