Seasonal Greetings: A Reminder to Appreciate the Present Moment
Netherlands 23.12.2023
With Christmas just around the corner, I’d like to introduce you to Fra Giovanni Giocondo, an Italian friar, architect, and scholar who lived during the Renaissance. Born in Verona, Italy, around 1433, he was renowned for his expertise in various fields, including architecture, engineering, and classical studies, playing a significant role in the revival of classical architecture during the Renaissance.
Now, let’s journey back to the Christmas of 1513 and explore an excerpt from a letter written by Fra Giovanni Giocondo to his dear friend, the most Illustrious Contessina Allagia Dela Aldobrandeschi—a noble lady from Tuscany, whose esteemed feudal family rose to prominence in the 8th century. The sentiments expressed in the letter are profoundly beautiful and poetic, carrying a timeless wisdom and encouragement that I’d like to share with you this Christmas in 2023.
“I extend my warm greetings to you. I am your friend, and my love for you runs deep. There is nothing I can give you that you do not already possess. Yet, there is much, indeed very much, that, though I cannot give, you can take. No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Embrace heaven! There is no peace in the future that is not concealed in this present moment. Seize peace! The darkness of the world is but a shadow, and behind it, within our reach, lies joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, if only we can see it. And to see, we need only look. I implore you to look!
Life is an exceedingly generous giver. However, we often judge its gifts by their external covering, dismissing them as ugly, heavy, or hard. Remove the covering, and beneath it, you will find a living splendour, woven with love by wisdom, infused with power. Welcome it, grasp it, and you will touch the angel’s hand that delivers it to you.
Everything we perceive as a trial, a sorrow, or a duty—believe me, that angel’s hand is there. The gift is present, and the wonder of an overshadowing presence prevails. Your joys, too, should not be merely accepted as joys; they, too, conceal divine gifts.
Life is brimming with meaning, purpose, and beauty beneath its covering. Earth merely cloaks your heaven. Summon the courage to claim it; that is all! Yet, courage you possess, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims journeying together through unknown country home.
And so, at this time, I greet you! Not quite in the manner the world conveys greetings, but with profound esteem and a prayer that, for you now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.”
Friends, I wanted to share this truly poetic and profound message with you. It serves as a poignant reminder to savour the present moment, find joy amidst challenges, and unveil the hidden beauty in life. The imagery of the angel’s hand and the belief that even trials and sorrows contain divine gifts is profoundly moving. It encapsulates the timeless essence of the human experience and encourages us to courageously embrace life’s richness.
With these sentiments, I wish you and your loved ones all the happiness of the season, and may blessings be yours throughout the New Year.
Kind regards,
William J J Houtzager
In what kind of world do we wish to live 