|
Pope Benedict XVI- Messages - Christmas |
Pope Benedict XVI's Urbi et Orbi Christmas Message
"I Once More Joyfully Proclaim Christ's Birth"
His Holiness Benedict XVI
December 25, 2008
"The grace of God our Saviour has appeared to all" (Tit
2:11, Vulg.)
Dear brothers and sisters, in the words of the Apostle Paul, I
once more joyfully proclaim Christ’s Birth. Today "the grace of
God our Saviour" has truly "appeared to all"!
It appeared! This is what the Church celebrates today. The grace
of God, rich in goodness and love, is no longer hidden. It
"appeared", it was manifested in the flesh, it showed its face.
Where? In Bethlehem. When? Under Caesar Augustus, during the
first census, which the Evangelist Luke also mentions. And who
is the One who reveals it? A newborn Child, the Son of the
Virgin Mary. In him the grace of God our Saviour has appeared.
And so that Child is called Jehoshua, Jesus, which means: "God
saves".
The grace of God has appeared. That is why Christmas is a feast
of light. Not like the full daylight which illumines everything,
but a glimmer beginning in the night and spreading out from a
precise point in the universe: from the stable of Bethlehem,
where the divine Child was born. Indeed, he is the light itself,
which begins to radiate, as portrayed in so many paintings of
the Nativity. He is the light whose appearance breaks through
the gloom, dispels the darkness and enables us to understand the
meaning and the value of our own lives and of all history. Every
Christmas crib is a simple yet eloquent invitation to open our
hearts and minds to the mystery of life. It is an encounter with
the immortal Life which became mortal in the mystic scene of the
Nativity: a scene which we can admire here too, in this Square,
as in countless churches and chapels throughout the world, and
in every house where the name of Jesus is adored.
The grace of God has appeared to all. Jesus – the face of the
"God who saves", did not show himself only for a certain few,
but for everyone. Although it is true that in the simple and
lowly dwelling of Bethlehem few persons encountered him, still
he came for all: Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, those near
and those far away, believers and non-believers… for everyone.
Supernatural grace, by God’s will, is meant for every creature.
Yet each human person needs to accept that grace, to utter his
or her own "yes", like Mary, so that his or her heart can be
illumined by a ray of that divine light. It was Mary and Joseph,
who that night welcomed the incarnate Word, awaiting it with
love, along with the shepherds who kept watch over their flocks
(cf. Lk 2:1-20). A small community, in other words, which made
haste to adore the Child Jesus; a tiny community which
represents the Church and all people of good will. Today too
those who await him, who seek him in their lives, encounter the
God who out of love became our brother – all those who turn
their hearts to him, who yearn to see his face and to contribute
to the coming of his Kingdom. Jesus himself would say this in
his preaching: these are the poor in spirit; those who mourn,
the meek, those who thirst for justice; the merciful, the pure
of heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for
righteousness’ sake (cf. Mt 5:3-10). They are the ones who see
in Jesus the face of God and then set out again, like the
shepherds of Bethlehem, renewed in heart by the joy of his love.
Brothers and sisters, all you who are listening to my words:
this proclamation of hope – the heart of the Christmas message –
is meant for all men and women. Jesus was born for everyone, and
just as Mary, in Bethlehem, offered him to the shepherds, so on
this day the Church presents him to all humanity, so that each
person and every human situation may come to know the power of
God’s saving grace, which alone can transform evil into good,
which alone can change human hearts, making them oases of peace.
May the many people who continue to dwell in darkness and the
shadow of death (cf. Lk 1:79) come to know the power of God’s
saving grace! May the divine Light of Bethlehem radiate
throughout the Holy Land, where the horizon seems once again
bleak for Israelis and Palestinians. May it spread throughout
Lebanon, Iraq and the whole Middle East. May it bring forth rich
fruit from the efforts of all those who, rather than resigning
themselves to the twisted logic of conflict and violence, prefer
instead the path of dialogue and negotiation as the means of
resolving tensions within each country and finding just and
lasting solutions to the conflicts troubling the region. This
light, which brings transformation and renewal, is besought by
the people of Zimbabwe, in Africa, trapped for all too long in a
political and social crisis which, sadly, keeps worsening, as
well as the men and women of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
especially in the war-torn region of Kivu, Darfur, in Sudan, and
Somalia, whose interminable sufferings are the tragic
consequence of the lack of stability and peace. This light is
awaited especially by the children living in those countries,
and the children of all countries experiencing troubles, so that
their future can once more be filled with hope.
Wherever the dignity and rights of the human person are trampled
upon; wherever the selfishness of individuals and groups
prevails over the common good; wherever fratricidal hatred and
the exploitation of man by man risk being taken for granted;
wherever internecine conflicts divide ethnic and social groups
and disrupt peaceful coexistence; wherever terrorism continues
to strike; wherever the basics needed for survival are lacking;
wherever an increasingly uncertain future is regarded with
apprehension, even in affluent nations: in each of these places
may the Light of Christmas shine forth and encourage all people
to do their part in a spirit of authentic solidarity. If people
look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall
apart.
Dear brothers and sisters, today, "the grace of God our Saviour
has appeared" (cf. Tit 2:11) in this world of ours, with all its
potential and its frailty, its advances and crises, its hopes
and travails. Today, there shines forth the light of Jesus
Christ, the Son of the Most High and the son of the Virgin Mary:
"God from God, light from light, true God from true God. For us
men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven". Let us
adore him, this very day, in every corner of the world, wrapped
in swaddling clothes and laid in a lowly manger. Let us adore
him in silence, while he, still a mere infant, seems to comfort
us by saying: Do not be afraid, "I am God, and there is no
other" (Is 45:22). Come to me, men and women, peoples and
nations, come to me. Do not be afraid: I have come to bring you
the love of the Father, and to show you the way of peace.
Let us go, then, brothers and sisters! Let us make haste, like
the shepherds on that Bethlehem night. God has come to meet us;
he has shown us his face, full of grace and mercy! May his
coming to us not be in vain! Let us seek Jesus, let us be drawn
to his light which dispels sadness and fear from every human
heart. Let us draw near to him with confidence, and bow down in
humility to adore him. Merry Christmas to all!
© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look at the One they
Pierced!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
|
