Vatican
City, 24 December 2015 (VIS) – This evening, beginning at 9:30pm,
Pope Francis presided over Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's
Basilica. During the course of the celebration he gave this homily:
''Tonight
'a great light' shines forth; the light of Jesus' birth shines all
about us. How true and timely are the words of the prophet Isaiah
which we have just heard: ''You have brought abundant joy and great
rejoicing'! Our heart was already joyful in awaiting this moment; now
that joy abounds and overflows, for the promise has been at last
fulfilled. Joy and gladness are a sure sign that the message
contained in the mystery of this night is truly from God. There is no
room for doubt; let us leave that to the skeptics who, by looking to
reason alone, never find the truth. There is no room for the
indifference which reigns in the hearts of those unable to love for
fear of losing something. All sadness has been banished, for the
Child Jesus brings true comfort to every heart.''
''Today,
the Son of God is born, and everything changes. The Savior of the
world comes to partake of our human nature; no longer are we alone
and forsaken. The Virgin offers us her Son as the beginning of a new
life. The true light has come to illumine our lives so often beset by
the darkness of sin. Today we once more discover who we are! Tonight
we have been shown the way to reach the journey's end. Now must we
put away all fear and dread, for the light shows us the path to
Bethlehem. We must not be laggards; we are not permitted to stand
idle. We must set out to see our Savior lying in a manger. This is
the reason for our joy and gladness: this Child has been ''born to
us'; he was ''given to us', as Isaiah proclaims. The people who for
two thousand years have traversed all the pathways of the world in
order to allow every man and woman to share in this joy are now given
the mission of making known ''the Prince of Peace' and becoming his
effective servant in the midst of the nations.''
''So
when we hear tell of the birth of Christ, let us be silent and let
the Child speak. Let us take his words to heart in rapt contemplation
of his face. If we take him in our arms and let ourselves be embraced
by him, he will bring us unending peace of heart. This Child teaches
us what is truly essential in our lives. He was born into the poverty
of this world; there was no room in the inn for him and his family.
He found shelter and support in a stable and was laid in a manger for
animals. And yet, from this nothingness, the light of God's glory
shines forth. From now on, the way of authentic liberation and
perennial redemption is open to every man and woman who is simple of
heart. This Child, whose face radiates the goodness, mercy and love
of God the Father, trains us, his disciples, as Saint Paul says, ''to
reject godless ways' and the richness of the world, in order to live
''temperately, justly and devoutly'.''
''In
a society so often intoxicated by consumerism and hedonism, wealth
and extravagance, appearances and narcissism, this Child calls us to
act soberly, in other words, in a way that is simple, balanced,
consistent, capable of seeing and doing what is essential. In a world
which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the
sin, we need to cultivate a strong sense of justice, to discern and
to do God's will. Amid a culture of indifference which not
infrequently turns ruthless, our style of life should instead be
devout, filled with empathy, compassion and mercy, drawn daily from
the wellspring of prayer.''
''Like
the shepherds of Bethlehem, may we too, with eyes full of amazement
and wonder, gaze upon the Child Jesus, the Son of God. And in his
presence may our hearts burst forth in prayer: ''Show us, Lord, your
mercy, and grant us your salvation'.''
No comments:
Post a Comment