Bringing the Passion for Christmas

The Lord grants us the grace to celebrate a new Christmas, prepared by the special season of Advent.

Each of us knows that the mystery of God’s Incarnation is the fulfilment of Salvation History. This moment, willed from the beginning —as Hebrews 10:5–9 reminds us—occurred when, in an a-temporal Trinitarian “dialogue”, the Son of God entered time within the family of Nazareth.  Mary’s first “yes,” through which she consented to a motherhood brought about by the divine Spirit, marked the beginning of a journey. This journey would conclude with her final “yes” beneath the Cross.

We must never forget that Mary’s two fiats —her first and her last— are inseparable. Through Joseph’s faith, his courage as a ‘just’ man, and his resolve, he too entered into God’s saving plan. Out of obedience to the Most High and love for Mary, which are two of his character’s beautiful traits, he allowed himself to be drawn into this mystery. In doing so, he gave concrete form to the promises the Lord had made to the Fathers and ancient Prophets—promises that, over time, had seemed to fade or even be lost.

By welcoming the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph and Mary began not only a new path in their own lives—placing at the center the person of Jesus, the Son of God—but also a new path in the life of humanity.

The birth of the Lord was indeed a watershed for all humankind. For every man and woman, Christmas is an opportunity for inner renewal, by welcoming God and placing our days in His hands.

The holy hermit Nicolao della Flüe, a saint much loved in Switzerland, would say to those who visited him, drawn as they were to his life entirely dedicated to Christ, poor and humble: “You must carry the Mystery of God in your heart, for in a man’s or a woman’s life, it is the greatest consolation!”

Is this not a good resolution for each of us, knowing that the mystery of the Lord’s Nativity is not merely a devout or poetic historical-liturgical remembrance, but the passion of a God who loves all His creatures—and whose passion concerns us today as well?

Merry Christmas, and may the Lord be with you!

Fernando Cardinal Filoni
Grand Master

(December 2025)

Note: This message draws upon the meditations by the Cardinal Grand Master, featured in “My Days Are in Your Hands”, published by Edizioni San Paolo, 2025.