Let heaven rejoice, let the earth be glad,
let the sea resound and all that fills it;
let the fields exult and all that is in them,
let all the trees of the forest cry out for joy
before the Lord, who is coming.[1]
Let all humanity rejoice.
Let us sing, let us raise our glasses, let us dance.
Let us embrace one another and acclaim, full of joy, the Good News.
Let us celebrate that God enters into our history,
walks our roads
and dwells in our houses, in our schools.
Dear Piarist brothers and sisters,
We are celebrating Christmas.
Once more, and always in a new way, we stand before the mystery of a God who chooses to be born, to draw near, to share our fragility and our life. Christmas is not only a tradition that repeats itself; it is Good News that breaks in, that surprises us, that opens history again when it seems closed and lost, and that reminds us that God still believes in humanity.
The prophet Isaiah offers us luminous words to name this event: “For a child has been born for us, a son has been given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and his name is: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”[2] These names speak to us of a new way of living: from closeness, care and peace. We discover that our Piarist vocation beats within this verse; for us, these words are not only an ancient promise, but a reality we embrace in our classrooms and in our homes.
Today, the story of the Nativity[3] gives us two more names, simple and decisive: Jesus and Emmanuel. Jesus means “God saves”: a God who enters into history to heal, to reconcile and to offer hope. Emmanuel means “God with us”: a God who does not stand aside, who remains, who walks beside us and shares the concrete life of people, with their joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties. These two names are the heart of Christmas: God saves by being with us.
For us Piarists, these names resound with particular strength. God saves and God is with us wherever we educate, accompany, listen, care and encourage. In every child and young person, especially those who are poorest, most vulnerable and forgotten, Christmas happens again, even if we do not always know how to ease their suffering or have answers for everything. We also live with our hearts tightened by the knowledge that so many boys and girls will live this Christmas in the midst of conflict, violence or injustice. Precisely there, with our fragility and limitation, we are called not only to announce Christmas, but to embody it: being a close presence, a word that encourages, a community that sustains, a school that opens up a future.
In this Jubilee Year, which will soon draw to a close, we have been invited to recognise ourselves as pilgrims of hope. The Jubilee will end, but the call remains. We will continue to be, in each of our presences and every day, bearers of hope.
May this Christmas renew our faith in the God who is born,
strengthen our Piarist vocation,
and help us to be, together, Good News for the world.
With fraternal affection, in Calasanz,
General Congregation
Piarist Community of Santa Teresa (Zaragoza), 18 December 2025.
[1] Ps 96 (95):11-13.
[2] Is 9:5.
[3] In the Gospel according to Matthew, 1:21 and 1:23, respectively.
