In the spirit of Christmas, which abounds with peace and hope, the Union of Religious Congregations (URC) in Jordan--represented by URC's spiritual director Fr. Rashid Mustarih, and URC President Sister Samia Nassar—URC Secretary Sister Cecile Hijazin, and Financial Officer Sister Nuha Sidqa undertook a series of spiritual visits to convey well-wishes and blessings marking the glorious Christmas holidays and the upcoming new year celebrations.

In the first leg of the visits, the URC delegation members visited Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Iyad Twal,  where they conveyed the meaning of Christmas in its capacity as a message of love, while offering him sincere wishes for a year of divine blessings and graces.

Then, the delegation members visited Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, where they emphasized the deep spiritual nexus that binds the Church in Jordan with the Holy See, within the framework of the Gospel's message  which calls for peace and unity among peoples.

Later, the delegation members visited the Greek Catholic Vicariate, where they offered well-wishes to Apostolic Administrator Paul Nuzha, in an atmosphere characterized by spirituality and fraternal warmth. They affirmed that Christmas is a light that dispels the darkness of the world and plants hope in hearts.

The last leg of the visits included a meeting with URC spiritual adviser Fr. Rashid Mustarih, where greetings and  good wishes  were exchanged  with hopes that the new year would bear the fruits of love and mercy, and the  commit to the Gospel's message in the service of humanity.

In this context, we recall the words of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who recently emphasized that: "Hope is a new birth that God brings forth in the hearts of believers, and Christmas reveals to us that God is the embrace of mercy and the light of forgiveness."

In this sense, the visits of the members of the religious congregations in Jordan carried the true message of Christmas, namely that Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and that the light of His birth continues to illuminate hearts and instills hope in the world.