Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

We live in a world where, all too often, religion is used to justify wars and atrocities. But we know that, as the Second Vatican Council affirms, “the relationship of man to God the Father and the relationship of man to his fellow human beings are so closely intertwined that Scripture says: ‘Whoever does not love does not know God’ (1 John 4:8)” (Declaration Nostra Aetate , n. 5). This is why we want to walk together, valuing what unites us, tearing down the walls of prejudice and mistrust, fostering mutual understanding and respect, to give everyone a powerful message of hope and an invitation to become “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).

My dear friends, let us make these values our resolutions for the Advent season and, even more so, for our lives, both personal and communal. Our steps move as if on a bridge that unites earth and Heaven, a bridge the Lord has built for us. Let us always keep our eyes fixed on its banks, to love God and our brothers and sisters with all our hearts, to walk together, and so that we may one day all be together again in the Father's house.