Friends:
What has happened in Venezuela has been a very sad way to start the New Year. The bad example of the powerful, disregarding international law and imposing the law of the strongest, is a low blow for people of good will. A cold shower for the good wishes and purposes with which we want to begin writing those unwritten pages of the calendar. But our Hope is not overwhelmed by the spectacle, throughout the world, of the seven capital sins. We continue to believe in Jesus of Nazareth, in his fraternal and supportive recipe for all humanity.
For those in Bilbao and surrounding areas, you have a proposal on the Notice Board.
Gospel and comments on the Gospel
Matthew 3, 13-17. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan and was baptized by John.
Miguel Ángel Munárriz: Imagining. Increasingly uncomfortable within the faith and traditions of his people.
José Luis Sicre: Second epiphany: Baptism of Jesus. Five days ago we celebrated the first manifestation of Jesus, in Bethlehem, to the pagans. Today we celebrate the second, to all, in the Jordan, through the voice of heaven.
Enrique Martínez Lozano: To fulfill what God wants. “Thy will be done” is equivalent to saying yes to life, accepting at all times what the present brings us, in an attitude of lucid surrender and absolute trust.
Fray Marcos: We celebrate the true birth of Jesus. This one is truly a work of the Spirit.
Fidel Aizpurúa: It is fitting that we fulfill all justice. The baptism of John, every baptism, is not only a sign of penance. It is also a sign of justice. Indeed, by receiving baptism, one points to a life of justice.
José Antonio Pagola: The Good Spirit of God. Jesus is not an empty or scattered man internally. He does not act through those villages of Galilee arbitrarily or moved by any interest.
Pepa Torres Pérez: Baptism of the Spirit. Jesus is a seeker affected by the pain and hopes of his people. He does not conform to reality as it is, but longs for a deep transformation of reality and the hearts of people.
Selected articles for the week
Aica: President of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference: “We trust in God and in our people”. The facts are still developing to be able to evaluate them.
José Antonio Vázquez Mosquera: Refusal to ordain women: The Gospel continues, but the hierarchy has stopped. Jesus did not choose a male priest, nor a guardian of the temple, nor an expert in the law as the first bearer of the paschal announcement. He chose a woman. Mary Magdalene.
José Arregi: Regarding an article by G. Ferretti on the challenge of post-modernism. The issue it addresses is a great challenge for all those who feel Christian.
Gerardo Villar: New Year: New Theology. It is urgent that, in addition to Sunday Eucharists, we have formation groups in the parish communities.
Juan Zapatero Ballesteros: Lost opportunity, once again. Lost opportunity to put love and not gender as an essential foundation of marriage.
Mariano Delgado: Wishes for the New Year in turbulent times. Faced with the temptation of pessimism, we should follow Aristotle’s advice…
Pedro Lanzas: Between faith and power: the Vatican’s dilemma before the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship. Analysis from Rome on the role and approach of Pope Leo XIV before the systematic persecution of the OrtegaMurillo regime against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.
Jesús Lozano Pino: Under the clutches of ambition: Trump and Maduro. Trump and Maduro, are they looking in the same mirror? Interesting political opinion article. Like all political opinions, it is worth listening to if it is expressed and argued, but you don’t have to agree with everything that is said.
Global news. Marco Rubio telephones Parolin after Rome’s criticism of Maduro’s detention.
For more participatory and current Eucharists
Isaiah 42, 1-7. Console, console my people, says your God.
Acts 10, 34-38. Truly I am convinced that God shows no partiality; in any nation whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Florentino Ulibarri: Walking through life each day. Walking in full light without fear of being recognized as your witness here and now. Stop and rest from burdens and worries; dialogue and share each day with those who come and go.
Vicky Irigaray: 3rd Sunday of Christmas. The baptism of Jesus. Let God be born in our lives by sharing what we are and have with that Jesus of flesh, who are the disinherited of our land.
Anaphore: Jesus, son of the Father. Whether we are aware or not, you are present in us. You are the life we live, the love we feel, and the good we do.
Multimedia material
Thank you for this year. Between the good and the bad, between what we achieved and what remained pending, we remember that life goes on and that it is always possible to be reborn with faith, peace, and hope. It is a sincere invitation to look back without resentment, to be grateful even for those things that hurt, and to open your heart to a new beginning.
Letter to the Three Wise Men. A letter written from the heart, on the most magical night of the year. This song gives voice to a simple and profound wish: to ask the Three Wise Men not for things that break, but for a more human, more fraternal, more peaceful world, full of true love.
Salomé Arricibita: Your Transparency. Everything that saddens and frightens me does not come from You. Everything that constricts and imprisons me does not come from You.
The mysterious hymn of the Three Wise Men. By P. Fernando Morales SJ. Precious song to share the infinite Love of God for us.
Incarnate Word. By Ain Karem. Borderless love, manger of our hope, source of our joy…, let us let this child be born and grow within us!!
It’s not too late. By Luis Guitarra. We premiere a song to start the new year 2026 with the hope of those of us who believe that a world in peace is possible.
At the EFFA School we provide the link to the study material where you can find all the talks and bibliography available, for those who were unable to see them or want to review them. The link to access the latest videos uploaded may also be useful.
And, as I promised, the letters will end with these three links: the letter of the week, the letter of last week and letters from other weeks. When someone loses -or doesn’t receive- the email with the news, they can use an old letter to access the new one.
A hug,
Inma Calvo
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English version translated with AI