Words are important at Christmas time, both the spoken and the written word. This is especially noticeable in our efforts to speak to close friends who are away from us at this time. We make a special effort to speak with members of our families who are living abroad. We feel the need to speak with those who are dear to us even if we cannot see them face to face.

The written word is also important at this time of year. Even in this digital age, we continue to write Christmas cards and send them off to people with a written greeting, including to people we may not see from one Christmas to the next. In various ways, we feel the need to connect with each other more at Christmas time; we sense a call to communicate with one another.

Language is one of the primary ways that we communicate with each other. Words carry greater significance than is usual in these days and weeks. Perhaps we attach so much significance to words at this time of the year because we appreciate that the deeper meaning of Christmas has everything to do with communication. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory.”

We all struggle to express ourselves, whether in the spoken word or the written word. We often end up with the nagging feeling that we haven’t said all we wanted to say or in the way we wanted to say it. We feel that there is a great deal more within us, in our minds and hearts, than we have managed to put into words.

God, however, expresses himself fully and completely, so perfectly that the Word God spoke was itself God. It was that perfect Word who became flesh, a human person, whose name was Jesus. The most perfect and precious Word that God spoke became a person. As a result, those who looked on the face of the new born child of Mary were looking on the face of God. That child was the complete self-communication of God. Here was a baby who was God’s perfect word to us.

Recently, we had a lot of communication among us through the live streaming of Event 2017 “Tresseurs de cordes”. All who participated seemed excited by the experience. There are plans to use this medium throughout 2018 as part of our preparations for General Assembly 2019. Not everyone is comfortable with this medium. Whatever medium you are most comfortable with, I would ask that you commit to a full and active participation in preparations for the Assemblies of 2019. 

I wish each member, associate and friend of SMA a wonderfully blessed Christmas. May the word be born anew in your heart and in your life. May the mission to which you are called to make this Word known near and far take root more fully in your heart this Christmas and throughout 2018. And may you enjoy a time of rest to re-charge the batteries for the coming year.

 Fachtna O’Driscoll SMA   

Superior General