© 2005-2026 BISERICI.org
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Merry Christmas![2010-12-24][Engleză]December 23, 2010Dear Friends, There is something magical about this time of year. Little lights are everywhere. Light is everywhere. Family members try to be nicer to each other... strangers say hi on the street... little children can hardly control themselves as they count down the days until December 25th. Unfortunately, it can also bring endless sales that now start before Thanksgiving... and grating holiday songs... and a complete over-commercialization of this most holy season. Yes, the unique, true meaning of Christmas can seem lost today. But the true miracle of Christmas is available to any who turn their attention away from the superficiality of our modern culture and toward that young mother, whose name was Mary... Toward her faith, her hope, her love... and toward all that came from her "Fiat"... And that is why I have placed two images of Mary at the top of this letter, flanking the columns of St. Peter's Square, where I have put the words which summarize the meaning of my entire journalistic endeavor. In a sense, what I have tried to do with Inside the Vatican magazine, and these emails, is to turn the attention of many toward Christ, not just at Christmas, but all year round. There are plenty of publications that cover the glitz, glamour, and bright lights of our modern world. We cover the message of Christs Church, which can be boiled down to this: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And so, in the same way that mothers and fathers at Christmas write to their relatives and friends about how the family is doing, I thought I would write to all of you -- briefly -- about how we are doing. We are doing well. We have our struggles, as everyone does. And we are getting older. Giuseppe Sabatelli, our graphic designer, our "Michelangelo," has flecks of white in his hair. Gregorio Galazka, our photographer, who has lugged his cameras around Rome for 25 years now, has put on a couple of pounds around his middle; his hair is greying, too. But Micaela Biferali, our Italian managing editor, seems not to age, and she continues to hold everything together with unmatched grace, elegance, and kindness. And Deborah Tomlinson continues to envision our future development, planning pilgrimages to Russia and Israel, a new website, book projects, all with an infectious optimism and joyfulness which is unfailing. Our friends in New Hope, Kentucky, where the magazine is printed -- Dennis and Mary Frances Musk, Hugh and Susan Pimentel and their daughter, Regina -- continue to fight the good fight of the faith. Our journalists, from Alberto Carosa and his lovely family of six children, to Angela Ambrogetti, one of the most joyful and lively Italian ladies you could imagine, to Vladimir Redzioch, a distinguished Polish gentleman of profound intellligence and faith, to Serena Sartini, who has a heart for the poor and suffering, to Crista Kramer von Reisswitz, a German woman whose heart is as noble as her lineage, to Anna Artymiak, a brave young Polish woman who has just arrived in Rome and is starting to build her career, to Andrea Kirk Assaf and her husband, Tony Assaf, and their two absolutely unimaginably cute young children (some of you will remember that we had them on the cover of the magazine when they were married in Rome a few years back), to Viktoria Somogyi, a tireless and precise young writer from Budapest, to Lucy Gordan, who covers cultural matters for us with insight and flair, to "Friar Tuck," who continues to cut a memorable swathe through the restaurants and trattorias of Rome, to Gerry O'Connell, an extraordinary man of integrity and an expert on Asia and China, to Natalya Tsarkova, the Russian painter who came to Rome and has become the portraitist of Popes (she is not one of our writers, but has become a dear friend), to Bill Doino, who continues to be a noble "beacon soul" dedicated in an exemplary way to the true and the good in this fallen world -- all of them make me feel deep gratitude that I have been able to come to know them and to work with them. My father, Dr. William Moynihan -- at 84, he is older than the Pope! -- continues to advise me with an aging man's wisdom on how to balance and focus my thinking, and how to understand some of the mysteries that life -- and death -- presents us with... All are doing well, amid struggles, amid challenges... all are doing well. And I am doing well -- though I have been fighting a chest cold that I picked up during the Synod in October, and still lingers... So at Christmastime we take stock, and we are filled with gratitude for so much which cannot be expressed. Gratitude for readers who have written kind words to us. Gratitude for friends who have stayed true to us -- even when we were struggling to keep on the right course. Gratitude for the chance to have had some small role in the battle of the faith in our time. We have taken some tough decisions this year to ensure that our magazine will survive. God willing, it will. Therefore, we will continue to publish the magazine, and to send out these newsflashes, and to address the issues of Christian faith in our time and in all time -- issues of morality, issues of liturgy and worship, issues of theology and scholarship and error and apostasy, issues of justice and injustice, of political freedom and political oppression, issues concerning the Holy See and the Church's structure and organization and hierarchy and Magisterium, issues concerning the Orthodox and the Protestants and ecumenism and the re-uniting of the Church, and issues concerning Judaism and the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. (Of course, if you would like to support this effort financially, it can only strengthen us, and help us to do this work more effectively and for a larger audience, and we would be grateful for such support!) God has always provided for our needs, in astonishing ways. Please keep us in your prayers. May all of you experience peace and quietness and love during this special time. May God bless you, now and always, with an abundance of Christmas joy, Robert Moynihan Editor, Inside the Vatican Magazine P.S. If you need to find a gift a little out of the ordinary, something which will keep on giving throughout the year, perhaps you could consider giving a gift subscription to the magazine. For students leaving home, for parish priests, for religion instructors, and for people just interested in the Catholic Church, this could be a perfect gift: a 1-year gift subscription to Inside the Vatican magazine for $33. ============================= Final Concluding Postscript: When I launched the magazine in 1993, 17 years ago, I put these words in my very first editorial: The conviction of Inside the Vatican magazine can be set forth in six words: journalism must aspire to the truth. Few are more aware than experienced journalists just how long and involved the search for truth can be, never mind expressing it in clear and straightforward style. Despite such difficulties, Inside the Vatican magazine finds important and accurate information, and publishes it in as full and honest a context as possible. This journal presents significant actions taking place or being contemplated by the Vatican. We appraise these events in terms of their impact on Catholics and non-Catholics, with particular attention to the Popes role as successor to St. Peter. Many people appreciate what we have done with the magazine. No periodical is more appreciated by me and all the members of my family than Inside the Vatican. We rely on it for clear, accurate news on the Church in the modern world and for special features. The rich color, lucid writing, art history and restaurant tips are a bonus! Prof. Mary Ann Glendon, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See This is one of my favorite magazines. I love it! Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. And we will continue to report the quest for truth, with your help. So, please take this opportunity to subscribe or send a gift subscription. Sursa: www.InsideTheVatican.com Contor Accesări: 1571, Ultimul acces: 2026-07-28 16:07:36
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