St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
December 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
May the Infant Jesus grant your heart the Peace you desire.
May His Star enlighten your mind with the splendor of His Truth.
May His Love consume your heart so that it beats solely for Him.
Peace, Truth and Love are independent attributes and virtues that have an effect on each other. Taken together, they have the ability to fill a soul with real and lasting Joy. When we enter this ‘three-step program’, we have an insight to understand a little more the depths of the Christmas Joy we wish one another. Most people want to be ‘happy’, and there is obviously nothing wrong with being happy. Happiness is a wonderful experience. Happiness often brings with it a sense of elation, relaxation, optimism, and more of those ‘good feelings’ we all enjoy.
Regretfully, this sensation is not permanent. Unless there is Joy in our heart and soul, happiness is only a passing moment with no real lasting effect except that of regret that it did not last longer. It leaves a yearning for the ‘feeling’ to return. When we follow the ‘process’ of that simple Christmas, Peace-Truth-Love, a more lasting Joy enters our heart and soul. It is this Joy that Christmas and the Mystery of the Incarnation help us to acquire. When we understand how the Eternal Word, equal to God from all ages, entered human history so that humanity could enter the timelessness of God’s Love, we lay the groundwork for the Peace-Truth-Love of God to possess us. God Himself offers us insights into all this through His own inspired Word.
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear … Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm! … The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (cfr. Isaiah 7: 4-15) For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful. (Isaiah 9: 5-6) … who brings glad tidings announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation … (Isaiah 52: 7)
Do you remember how prevalent it became for us to hear the word ‘Shalom’, the Hebrew word for ‘Peace’, extended to others at the moment of the Sign of Peace during Mass? Our own Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi made the word ‘peace’ his own particular greeting: The Lord give you peace! When we reflect upon what peace means to us and pray for it, most often what we ask for is tranquility of soul or cessation of some external violence affecting ourselves or others. This peace is most needed and an appropriate gift to prayerfully request of God. However, in Scripture, the word ‘Shalom’ that we translate as ‘peace’ has a deeper and more life-altering meaning. Our ancestors in the faith of Abraham, from whom our Savior descended according to the flesh, used this word to mean ‘completeness’, ‘fullness’, ‘integrity’, and the like. What flows from this ‘fullness’ and ‘completeness’ is another expression of ‘shalom’.
The Mystery of the Incarnation begins with ‘shalom’. The Angel Gabriel came to Mary and greeting her said: ‘Shalom’ favored one! The Lord is with you. (Luke 2: 28) This greeting of fulfillment, completeness, wholeness filled Mary with a sense of confusion at why this should be said to Her. The prophecies were now to be fulfilled, the time established had reached completion, the person to enter human history was the Creator/creature in the wholeness of a Person Whose two distinct and total natures were not in conflict but in total harmony with each other. ‘Shalom’, the Angel said to Mary, as an introduction and encouragement to accept the challenge because, with Her consent, the Father would send His Spirit to overshadow Mary. Thus, His Covenant and all the Prophecies would be fulfilled in Jesus, His Incarnate Son, the Word made flesh. ‘Shalom-Peace’ is anything but an apathetic courteous greeting. It is an eternally packed word that brings harmony and serenity, and leads to acceptance of Truth.
Jesus then said … ‘If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8: 31-32) I have much more to tell you … but when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. (John 16: 12-13) Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, Father … Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth (cfr. John 17: 1-17). Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. (John 18: 37)
Peace of heart and soul is a liberating gift. Inner peace frees us to be who we were created to be. There is no longer any need to protect an ‘image’ of what we want others to think of us. Protective comfort zones are eliminated. Intimidating precautions and false securities that offer illusory hope are eliminated. Deceptive images we use to camouflage our real personalities are ‘unmasked’. A soul at peace is transparent and that person is at peace with him/herself. Transparency is Truth, and vice versa. Peace frees us from the need to ‘compete’ with others. Self esteem is rekindled and we accept the fact that You are who you are before God and nothing more (cfr. St. Francis of Assisi). Truth and transparency, fruits of a person at peace with God, self and others, inevitably leads to Love.
The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him … He gives health and life and blessings (Sirach 34: 17). For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts (Hosea 6: 6). Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him … Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (John 14: 21-23).
Love is a deceptive word. It is most often used to express an emotional rapport between persons. While love can be expressed as a ‘fuzzy feeling’ of the senses, true love is something else. When we define love, we have already limited or even destroyed it in our minds and hearts. Peace that leads to transparency is capable of love in its fullness. We know that love is God. True spiritual love is manifest in the ability to totally surrender ourselves to the other. This surrender is not a submission to another’s dominance. Loving surrender does not count the cost, it supports and encourages. It lives the present, in view of the future, grateful for the experiences of the past. Love helps us to live in the present, and thus in the Presence of God.
It is a marvelous blessing for anyone to possess Peace-Truth-Love. To state it this way though, seems so academic. They are academic qualities, virtues, attributes that can be taught, preached, reflected upon. But what are the practical effects of these three Christmas gifts of the Father to His world in Jesus? Simply put:
– Peace calms the heart and soul. It offers the space for serenity within and brings about a certain contentment, tranquility, silence in our personality and demeanor. A peace-full person is usually calm, balanced, thoughtful, patient, prudent .
– Truth encourages the person to greater transparency, thus, to live a simpler life. A simplicity of lifestyle eradicates all exaggerations, false securities in persons, places, and things. We are relieved and free to just be ourselves.
– Love is the last of the three ‘steps’ that challenges us to open our hearts to others. The inner peace and total transparency free us to accept others as we would be accepted. They become ‘companions on the journey’ who enhance and support us as we do them. They are not obstacles to overcome or enemies to conquer. They are sisters and brothers in God’s great family of creation redeemed in the Blood of the One Whose Birth we celebrate. In His Blood God’s Covenant with Humanity is ratified and we become truly adopted children. We are children not of the womb. We are children of the heart, the Eternal Loving Heart of the Father.
Sisters and Brothers in the Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi and our Holy Mother St. Clare, let us accept the greeting as a blessing and a challenge. Let us strive at this Holy Season and throughout the year to seek that peace that only God can give. Let us gratefully accept God’s will for us and the role He has asked we fulfill in our life. Thus we shall see all others in the same light, ‘blessed’ and ‘challenged’. May the words of the angels at Bethlehem to the shepherds be in our hearts and on our lips: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests (Luke 2: 14).
Christmas is a time of gift-giving and gift-receiving. Recognize the gift we are and are called to be. Thus, we may become a joy-filled, life-giving, sister and brother in the family of the Poverello of Assisi. For this intention and whatever ones you may hold most dear in your hearts, be assured that you and your loved ones will be remembered in a special way in all the Masses I celebrate during this holy season.
Let’s remember that this Advent begins the celebration of the 8th centenary of the Paschal Mystery of our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi. Aware of his approaching death, he and awaited his encounter with Life Himself, Uncreated Source of Being, GOD. St. Francis sang his song as he saw with his heart’s eye the immensity God’s creation reborn and transformed in the magnificence of God from Whom all comes and in-with-through Whom all are “reborn”. Advent/Christmas is the mystery re-presented in liturgy each year for us to journey with the heart and liturgy as of Seraphic Father did. Contemplate with your mind and heart each day. Offer others the gift of your contemplation. The Jesus considered, contemplated, and offered others will be a source unexpected of Peace-Truth-Love.
In the Name of Jesus I wish all of you a Spirit-filled Advent and a Holy and Happy Christmas Season. As you enter the new calendar year with all its expectations and uncertainties, hopes and fears, may your dreams be fulfilled in a world renewed in Jesus and filled with His Spirit. Let us never forget: A Child is born to us! A Savior is given to us! Come, let us adore Him! Fear not! It is I! I have conquered the world!
Blessed and Merry Christmas 2025 and a Happy New Year 2026!
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
Holy and Happy Christmas 2025
Happy New Year 2026
May the New Year be filled with God’s
Peace, Joy and Love.
Leave a Reply