JESUS SAVIOR OF HUMANITY

To the Jesus Caritas Fraternity of priests:

Dear brothers,

The 2008 Nativity celebration finds us in the middle of an economic crisis, which affects all of humanity.  It has been as Garcia Marquez wrote in his novel “Chronic of an announced Death”. 

In 1997, the Kyoto’s Accord about the Planet global warming, predicted that all “these changes will have serious repercussions on the ecosystem as well as on the economy”.  The leaders and the society did not pay attention to these very serious warnings.  We are living in the opulence of a minority, which is causing misery for millions of human beings.  The foolishness of this attitude has brought us to what we are suffering now.  The hunger and the natural disasters have increased.  Bloody wars and institutional violence are continuing.  Our world is more chaotic.

While we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, the prophet’s message takes all its meaning: “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.”

In the middle of the shadows, we are called to be light, like Jesus.  We are aware of the difficulty of the moment; however, we are certain of the Salvation that comes from God.  This drives us to keep searching for an answer.  It is not too late, as some might think, for humanity to recover and to avoid this road of craziness that we are experimenting right now.

During the Retreat that I had the joy to direct with the fraternities from Spain, last August, we felt the necessity for our Jesus Caritas Fraternity to continue being a sign for the Church and for society.  With the humility of Brother Charles, remember his 150^th anniversary of birth, with his prophetic attitude which reminds us that we cannot be “sleeping guards, or silent dogs”, we are invited to be witnesses of this Salvation.

I am very happy to note an increased interest from various fraternities to participate in the Month of Nazareth and the strengthening of communications between the brothers.

I recommend to God our brothers that left us this year to go to our Father, amongst them some of our founders, like Jacques Leclerc, from Canada and Paco Clemente, from Spain.  My dear mother, Marcelina Abreu, who left us last June.  To be with her in her Passover was an experience of God, which I am profoundly grateful.  Thanks to all of you that accompanied me during these days.

I wish to encourage you all to keep thinking about our Directory and Guide we sent you.  We hope to get your suggestions before March in order to be prepared for the Council in April. 

May the Christmas lights remind us of Jesus, the true Light of the World.

Peace to all,

Abraham Apolinario, International Responsible