The Seeds of Christmas for Asia today
The editorial director of AsiaNews offers his best wishes to “those who oppose war and division, who pay with prison for their fidelity to their ideals, who dedicate themselves for the least. Even in the huge continent where His disciples are few, Jesus is present wherever a man or woman gives their life that there may be peace, freedom, and love for the entire world.”
Dear AsiaNews readers,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2026 to all of you, especially those who read us from the various nations of Asia. On the night of Bethlehem, the gift of peace was announced to the men and women loved by the Lord. It is the gift of the child Jesus, and our thoughts and prayers go to the children of Gaza and the West Bank, to the wonderful and beloved country of Myanmar, and to the children who suffer, together with their young mothers, in so many parts of Asia and the world. Let there be peace in the Holy Land, in Asia, and throughout the world.
In recent weeks, we have been following the second Asian missionary congress, held in Penang, Malaysia. I like to describe the presence of Christians in Asia with the evangelical image of the seed. Jesus’s disciples are a small seed, a tiny percentage, and one can assume that they will remain so. Yet, the purpose of the mission is not to change those numbers, but to bring Jesus’s testimony to life everywhere, by telling his story.
Justin, one of the first Christian authors who hailed from Nablus (Palestine), had a brilliant insight, valid even today: the seeds of the Word, or rather of Jesus, are scattered throughout the world and in people’s hearts. There is, therefore, a presence of Jesus, or rather a widespread Christology, which goes beyond visible affiliation with him, for his seeds are scattered abundantly. The Indian theologian Ramon Panikkar defined this presence as the "unknown Christ" in the religions, cultures, and peoples of Asia.
I wonder what signs allow us to perceive the presence of the seeds of the hidden and unknown Jesus. Certainly, Jesus, who proclaimed peacemakers "blessed," is present wherever women and men work for peace and oppose war and division.
The Catholic liturgy, paraphrasing a passage from the Council, describes the work of Jesus and his Spirit in our world as follows: to make all nations into one new people, whose goal is your kingdom, whose condition is the freedom of your children, and whose statute is the precept of love (Common Preface VII).
Jesus, and the spirit of Jesus, are present wherever a man or woman gives their life, paying personally for the freedom and human dignity of their people. Freedom is not a superfluous option for a fortunate few; it is the condition of the dignity of children of God. Indeed, Jesus himself is the author of our freedom for he freed us so that we might remain free (Galatians 5:1).
In recent weeks, we have followed the sad story of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong Catholic publisher imprisoned for violating the national security law. It is a story that deeply affects me. I don't know Jimmy Lai personally, but I know his story and the expression of solidarity he received from Cardinal Joseph Zen. I know other people like him imprisoned for the ideals of freedom and democracy. In China, fellow Catholics from the so-called underground communities, continue to be deprived of their freedom year after year, spending Christmas far from their families and communities.
May peace, freedom, and love be upon Asia and the entire world. This is the hope and commitment that, as disciples and missionaries of Jesus, we extend to our readers today, Christmas Day, and the coming year.
The image accompanying this wish is "The Angel Brings Good News to the Shepherds" by the Chinese painter Luke Hua Xiaoxian (華效先) (1948).
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