D. Manuel Neto Quintas, Bishop of the Algarve, highlights, in his message for this Christmas, the attitude of the shepherds who went to the grotto of Belém to see the Child Jesus.
«Like the pastors, we are invited, once again, to follow the same spiritual path so that we too can see what happened… and meet Jesus and his family, attracted by the simplicity and humility of the One who assumes our condition human, showing us how much God wants us. Herein lies the essence of Christmas which, as Christians, we are invited to celebrate in the light of faith in the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus, Son of God, “says the Algarvian prelate, in a text inspired by a biblical passage from the Gospel of St. Luke (Lk 2,15 .XNUMXs).
The family of Nazareth as an inspiring model for all families, a “reference and source of comfort and inspiration for Christian families”, is another of the points that D. Manuel Quintas highlights in his text, as he considers that “the joy of love that you live in families” and that this experience has been for the Diocese of the Algarve “a reason for joy, inspiration and pastoral commitment”.
D. Manuel Quintas maintains that «the love present in the family of Nazareth, a reflection of God's love for all humanity, welcomed and cultivated in each family, is a source of authentic life, which gives its members the ability to grow as a family and as persons and to collaborate in the construction of the great human family».
The diocesan bishop, referring particularly to the humility of Jesus, also says: “In Jesus the Father has given us a brother who seeks us when we are disoriented and aimless, and a faithful friend who always walks by our side; he gave us his Son who forgives and lifts us up when we are prostrated by our frailties," he writes in a reference to the recent apostolic letter of the pope Admirable Signum (admirable sign), about the meaning and value of the nativity scene.
D. Manuel Quintas also emphasizes that «only Jesus Christ fills the heart and life of joy, of those who meet Him, joy that is renewed and communicates, capable of overcoming the sadness caused by petty and self-indulgent attitudes, of lives closed to others and no place for the poorest».
The Bishop concludes by saying that “the spirit that characterizes this season brings out the noblest feelings of human beings, even among non-believers, in relation to their fellow man, feelings that mobilize altruistic initiatives and gestures, which express the solidarity and fraternal dimension, which should characterize, habitually and throughout the year, human relationships and life in society».
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