Dear friends,
in this preparation for Christmas, now at hand,
the Church's prayer for the fulfillment of the hopes
of peace, salvation and justice which the world today urgently needs
become more intense.
Let us ask God
to grant that violence be overcome by the power of love,
that opposition give way to reconciliation
and that the desire to oppress be transformed
into the desire for forgiveness, justice and peace…
May peace be in our hearts
so that they are open to the action of God's grace…
May all members of the family community,
especially children, the elderly, the weakest,
feel the warmth of this feast,
and may it extend subsequently to all the days in the year.
Amen.