After the Christmas season, we enter Ordinary Time, which is a period outside the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. During Ordinary Time, we reflect on various mysteries of Christ that are not specifically commemorated by these seasons. This time serves as an invitation from Mother Church to deepen our knowledge, love, and commitment to Christ. As this issue is released on February 1, we note that the Lenten season will soon begin, starting with Ash Wednesday on February 18.
 
In this issue, we would like to share excerpts from the message delivered by Pope Leo XIV during the Angelus on the Second Sunday of Christmas at the Vatican. Although it was published in Vatican News on January 4, we hope this message serves as an inspiration as we navigate the year 2026 and continue our faith journey throughout the liturgical year, both as a community and as individuals.

Excerpts from Pope Leo XIV

May the joy of Christmas inspire us to continue on our journey. “The mystery of Christmas reminds us that the foundation of our hope is God's Incarnation. As Scripture says, 'The Word became flesh and lived among us' (John 1:14). He shared the vulnerability of human flesh. In Jesus, God became one of us, chose to stay with us, and willed to be forever God-with-us. Our Christian hope, therefore, is not based on optimistic forecasts or human calculations, but on God's decision to share our journey so that we are never alone as we travel through life.”

Examining our spirituality and expressions of faith. "Therefore," he urged, "we must continually examine our spirituality and the ways we express our faith to ensure they are genuinely embodied." He emphasized that this requires us to contemplate, proclaim, and pray to the God "who meets us in Jesus." "He is not a distant deity residing in a perfect heaven above," the Pope said, "but a God who is close to us, inhabiting our fragile earth. He becomes present in the faces of our brothers and sisters and reveals himself in the circumstances of our daily lives."

Authentic worship of God requires care for humanity. The Holy Father said that our commitment to all men and women must be consistent. He reminded us that "since God has become one of us, every human being reflects him, bearing his image and containing a spark of his light." He emphasized that this recognition calls us to honor the inviolable dignity of every person and to offer ourselves in mutual love for one another. The Pope added that this commitment, "demands a concrete effort to promote fraternity and communion," enabling solidarity to become the guiding principle of all human relationships. “There is no authentic worship of God without care for humanity."

In conclusion, Pope Leo prayed that the joy of Christmas encourage us to continue on our journey and that we ask the Virgin Mary to make us ever more ready to serve both God and our neighbor.

(Culled from an article by Deborah Castellano Lubov

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-01/pope-at-angelus-4-january-2026)

by Sr. Flor Florece, F.I.