From the shepherds to today: the Christmas of those who have no power
The director of AsiaNews greets readers: "Beyond the logic of politics, those who love Jesus make an impact in the world. This is why the proclamation of the night of Bethlehem has come down to us and why, even in this very difficult year, we can still say to each other: Merry Christmas".
During the early years of my mission in Cambodia, a friend who was active in international cooperation asked me: "How does it feel to be part of a Church that has no voice or power in society?" "It makes no difference to me," I replied. "I am here so that the name of Jesus can be proclaimed and whoever wants can draw closer to know him. The rest is incidental."
The Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, meeting last October, best expressed the Church's style and way of being as a minority and its social and political relevance: There are only 2% of Catholics on the entire continent. Yet this condition is not cause for fear, rather it becomes a stimulus for the Gospel to be proclaimed everywhere and in every circumstance.
In Cambodia, I was moved by the university and high school students who asked to become Catholic, with a three-year catechumenate, making this choice without the support of their families and with society and friends branding them as "traitors to the homeland".
It was a courageous decision, which they did not want to give up because Christ had become important to them, having encountered him in the community and in charity. These young people became heralds of the Gospel, bringing friends and fellow students to church on Sundays, where the liturgy lived with joy inspired true journeys of conversion.
Christianity is not meaningful because it is powerful, but because it brings Christ into people's lives, making them beautiful and full of meaning. "The parables of the Kingdom reveal to us that God acts through the little ones. Being on the margins does not prevent the Church in Asia from living its mission," Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, recalled during the Bangkok event.
This is what we try to tell every day here on AsiaNews with our stories and our gaze on everything that happens in this great continent. And it is a story that many people in every part of the world follow attentively, as witnessed by the hundreds of friends who have subscribed to our newsletters during this year 2022.
AsiaNews is growing and will continue to do so in 2023, when November will mark the 20th anniversary of the this online newsagency promoted by the PIME missionaries. While remaining what we are: a small voice at the service of those who too often find no other space in today's news.
The announcement of Jesus' birth started from humble people like shepherds, and today in Asia the Gospel is guarded by communities that count for little in political life. But those who love Jesus make an impact in the world. That is why the proclamation of a few shepherds has come down to us, and today we can say to each other: Merry Christmas!
fr. Mario Ghezzi
director of AsiaNews
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22/09/2022 17:33
