The Way Forward #7
New Year Message

January 1, 2008

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

A new year is upon us! If the favors and mercies of the Lord are renewed each morning (Lam 3:22-23), how much more with a new year! Great is the faithfulness of our God, and we look forward to a year of great blessings from a great God.

2007 was a wonderful year. Your eyebrows may be raised with that statement, because last year was the year CFC was plunged into crisis and there was a split in our ranks. But it had to happen. God needed to bring us back to our authentic calling. The veering away had wreaked havoc on us and our work, resulting in the loss of many members. But God in His love for us brought us back, impressed upon us the utmost need for fidelity to our covenant, and gave us the grace of restoration.

Now we are restored to our original charism, that of family life and evangelization. Now we have learned the lessons of Lamentations, and hopefully will no longer repeat our mistakes. Now we are freed of the shackles of infidelity, of disrespect to Church authority, of disinformation and untruths. Lamentations has purified us. Now we can be who we truly are, families in the Holy Spirit that will be used by God to do our share in renewing the face of the earth.

I am truly excited for what lies ahead for us in this new year. Our brethren in CFC-FFL are too. Because we are restored to covenant fidelity and to our authentic charism, we can look forward to the Lord’s anointing, for it is He who works in and through us, and just needs a worthy and fitting vessel. Let us live our lives such that we indeed will be worthy. As we do so, I look forward to the return of empowerment in the Holy Spirit upon our life and work.

Let us all support one another in living out this wonderful calling—to holiness, to discipleship, to the mission given us. Always fix your eyes on Jesus, and never be afraid. God is with us, until the end of the age.

Thank you for all you did for the Lord last 2007. Always remember that the Lord is never outdone in generosity. Look forward to His bountiful blessings in this new year 2008. And share those blessings with many others.

May the Lord guide us all, and bring us to the fullness of love, peace and joy. Have a happy, prosperous, blessed and Spirit-filled new year.

Your brother in Christ,

Frank Padilla