a. Verse One Just now I watched my football team FC Barcelona finish off their year playing a beautiful game of football-poetic in its creation, selfless in its delivery. The team played without their two non-Spanish superstars-Messi and Neymar- and yet had Pedro (born in the Canaries) and Cesc (a Catalan) scoring some sublime goals, and Jordi Alba (a Catalan) and Iniesta (a Castilian) in perfect harmony down the left-hand side and in the middle. Barca’s manager, Tata Martino likes to rotate his players (several of them Spanish internationals) so as not to exhaust them. This must please Vicente Del Bosque, the manager of the Spanish national squad –La Roja-as much as having the divisive Jose Mourinho no longer manager of Real Madrid, as he prepares to defend his team’s Crown at next summer’s World Cup tournament in Brazil.
b. Verse Two With Catalan nationalists announcing plans for a referendum on independence , and the Madrid government insisting such an act would be unconstitutional, Spain looks set to become one of next year’s big political stories, and only Spaniards and Catalans will come out losing if both sides refuse to back off. If only Spanish politics could be like La Roja, and learn there is such a thing as the common good, from Barca and Vicente Del Bosque.
c. Verse Three A friend of mine is trying to hold his family life together having lost his job. Three other friends have been treated for cancer in recent months. The determination of all four to look on the brighter side and believe things will get better has shown them at their most human and heroic. I feel humbled by their majesty of spirit.
d. Verse Four In my Catholic church today we prayed for peace, reconciliation, and end to suffering in the Middle East. I thank God for sending us Pope Francis.
e. Verse Five What happens now it’s Christmas? We send nice emails to each other, we modify our tweets, we exchange presents, we gather as family or as friends, and think of or try and reach out to those who are without either. We don’t feel like fighting. We try and forgive. We pause. We hope. We look up at the stars at night, and some of us remember just why Christmas exists at all, thanks to a child born in a manger.
Verse Six A fraternal abrazo to you all .
Verse 1: defeating the all-powerful Getafe is not exactly an earth shattering achievement. You are just avoiding the storm clouds facing Barça in 2014. Firstly Messi and his fall out with the directors, plus his Foundation being investigated as a cover for laundering Colombian narco money, then there is Nymar’s contract being investigated by the Spanish judiciary, followed by the player exodus led by Valdes, and the failure to replace the Iniesta/Xavi midfield motor….. Barça is heading towards the precipice, and may well go over the edge after the game with Man City!
Verse 2: the referendum IS unconstitutional. So don’t blame the government.
And in answer your Verse 3,4,5. As a lapsed Catholic I have decided to go to Midnight Mass, as I want to pray for a friend who is also suffering from cancer. So yes, thank goodness for this time when we can slow down, be with our families and meditate on values that often get lost in the day to day mayhem of modern life.
¡Un fuerte abrazo!