EYCE wishes you Blessed Christmas!
Dear friends and partners of EYCE, dear brothers and sisters,
Advent and the time before the start of a new year is the time of expecting a miracle to be born into our lives, and the period to look back and reflect on our achievements, search our hearts and look into the coming year and the plans for the future. in the middle of all the many things we need to finalise , this time around Christmas gives allows us to find some moments to reflect and rethink our lives so that Jesus could be born to our hearts. We take time to put away all the things that trouble us and make space for baby Jesus to come.
Similarly, we can use this time to reflect the work of organisations we are involved in, look back at our plans, achievements and maybe shortcomings.
Now is the time, when EYCE is completing its three-year campaign on ecological justice and, at the beginning of 2014, young Christians in EYCE network will start another three-year working cycle, focusing on poverty as equally urgent obstacle to creation of a just society. Besides this, EYCE will keep on training and inspiring young people to take an action and live their faith.
Living one’s faith is not always easy. Working on both of those themes, we see that there are many challenges in the current society which, we believe, we should overcome. Or even more, we feel we are called to help others to overcome them, to help people to find place for solidarity in their hearts and in their actions. However, we often find that we simply do not have enough power to address those situations and help everyone in need. We are overwhelmed. Then, it is not difficult to fall into frustration and despair.
Yet, we must not forget that the Christmas message gives us hope! This hope teaches us, that even though we work hard, without God’s guidance our effort is pointless. Therefore, let us not focus on the challenges and difficulties, but rather on the hope represented by the newly born Child. And let us rejoice together with millions of others who share this hope!
Let us open our doors and make space so that baby Jesus can be born in our hearts: in the hearts of our organisations, our communities and our families!
Dear friends, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe wishes you Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!
Yours in Christ,
Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe