Dear Brothers and Sisters, spiritual directors and companions,

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

A Child is born.
Usually we look for mighty protectors, who can guarantee our safety. In this case, it is a child, a son who is given, as a Christmas present. You can’t really establish the value of a child. The Child is born to us and for us. To be with us. We don’t have to raise this Child, to look after him, to protect him. This Child comes to look after us, to protect us, to love us and to give his life for us. As he did already.

This Child bears the government on his shoulders.
In our world we often have the impression, that our governments are failing to fulfil their duties. That they are not leading us in the best direction. That they are taking decisions which do not always serve our best interests. We might have the feeling that this world is going in a wrong direction. And then we just read that the Son is in charge. He has not left us alone, even if the circumstances are gloomy for us.

The Child will be called Wonderful Counsellor.
He is the Exceptional Spiritual Director. He counsels us, when we are at a loss. There are so many decisions to be taken in our lives, and sometimes we don’t know what the best decision would be, as we don’t know the future and we are not aware of the consequences. He is there for us to counsel and support us.

The Child is Mighty God and Everlasting Father.
As the Son, he is part of the Trinity. In him we see, feel and experience God and the Father. The might was given to him by the Father, and he uses it for our benefit. He is called mighty and everlasting and we experience his powerful deliverance in our darkest hours.

And finally he is the Prince of Peace.
He was born as a child, and he worked in order to restore peace between God and us, in families and among nations. His effort was honoured by a cross. And he remained on that cross for our sake. He had the power to come down, to punish his opponents, but he chose to die, and to deliver peace through his sacrifice. Today there is no peace in Europe, and in the world. Peace is lacking sometimes from our own lives. We need peace in our lives, peace in our families, peace with our neighbours, peace with each other. The Prince of Peace is born, and we need him. He offers each one of us his peace.

May his peace fill your lives, your families, your friends, loved ones and directees.