Here is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ catechesis at this morning’s general audience, held in Paul VI Hall.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
We have just
begun a series of catecheses on the theme of hope, all the more
appropriate in the Season of Advent. Up to now, the prophet Isaiah has
been guiding us. Today, a few days from Christmas, I would like to
reflect more specifically on the moment in which, so to speak,
hope entered the world,
with the Incarnation of the Son of God. Isaiah himself pre-announced
the Messiah’s birth in some passages: “Behold, a young woman shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”: (7:14);
and also “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots” (11:1). The meaning of Christmas
shines through these passages: God fulfils the promise making Himself
man; He does not abandon His people, He comes close to the point of
despoiling Himself of his divinity. Thus God shows His fidelity and
inaugurates a new Kingdom, which gives a new hope to humanity. And what is this hope? Eternal life.
When there
is talk of hope, it refers often to that which is not in man’s power and
which is not visible. In fact, what we hope for goes beyond our
strength and our gaze. However, Christ’s birth, inaugurating the
Redemption, speaks to us of a different hope, a reliable, visible and
comprehensible hope, because it is founded on God. He entered the world
and gave us the strength to walk with him: God walks with us in Jesus
and to walk with Him towards the fullness of life gives us the strength
to be in the present in a new way, though laborious. For the Christian
to hope, therefore, means the certainty of being on the way with Christ
towards the Father, who awaits us. Hope never stops, hope is always on
the way and makes us walk forward. This hope, which the Child of
Bethlehem gives us, offers a goal, a good destiny to the
present, the salvation of humanity, beatitude to the one who entrusts
himself to the merciful God. Saint Paul summarizes all this with the
expression: “For in this hope we were saved” (Romans 8:24).
That is, walking in this way, with hope, we are saved. And here, we can
each ask ourselves the question: do I walk with hope or is my interior
life stopped, closed? Is my heart a closed drawer or a drawer open to
hope, which has me walk with Christ, and not alone?
During the Season of Advent, the Crib is
prepared in Christians’ homes, according to the tradition that goes
back to Saint Francis of Assisi. In its simplicity, the Crib transmits
hope; each of the personages is immersed in this atmosphere of hope.
We note first of all the place where Jesus is born: Bethlehem. A
small borough of Judea where a thousand years earlier David was born,
the shepherd chosen by God as King of Israel. Bethlehem is not a
capital, therefore it is preferred by Divine Providence, which loves to
act through the little ones and humble ones. In that place, the much
awaited “son of David” was born, Jesus, in whom God’s hope and man’s
hope meet.
Then we look
at Mary, Mother of Hope. With her “Yes” she opened the door of our
world to God: her girl’s heart was full of hope, all animated by faith;
and so God chose her and she believed in His word. She, who for nine
months was the Ark of the new and eternal Covenant, contemplated the
Child in the cavern and saw in Him the love of God, who comes to save
His people and the whole of humanity.
At Mary’s side is Joseph, descendant
of Jesse and David; he too believed in the Angel’s words and, looking
at Jesus in the manger, he meditated that that Child came from the Holy
Spirit, and that God Himself ordered him to call him thus, “Jesus.” In
that name is every man’s hope, because through that son of woman, God
will save humanity from death and sin. Therefore, it is important to
look at the Crib!
Also at the Crib are the shepherds, who represent the humble and the poor who were awaiting the Messiah, the “consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25) and the “redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke
2:38).
In that Child they saw the fulfilment of the promises and they hope
that God’s salvation will finally reach each one of them. One who trusts
in his own securities, especially material, does not await God’s
salvation. Let’s get this in our head: our securities will not save us;
the only security that saves us is that of hope in God. He saves us
because He is strong and makes us walk in life with joy, with the desire
to do good, with the desire to become happy for eternity. Instead, the
little ones, the shepherds, trust in God, hope in Him and rejoice when
they recognize in that Child the sign indicated by the Angels (cf. Luke 2:12).
And in fact the choir of Angels proclaims
from on high the great design that the Child carries out: “Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14). Christian hope is expressed in praise and thanksgiving to God, who has inaugurated His Kingdom of love, justice and peace.
Dear
brothers and sisters, in these days, contemplating the Crib, we prepare
ourselves for the Lord’s Birth. It will be truly a celebration if we
receive Jesus, seed of hope that God deposits in the furrows of our
personal and communal history. Every “Yes” to Jesus who comes is a seed
of hope. Let us have confidence in this seed of hope, in this yes: “Yes,
Jesus, you can save me, you can save me.” A Happy Christmas of hope to
all!
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
In Italian
In the
atmosphere of joyful expectation of Christmas, now close, I am pleased
to greet affectionately the Italian-speaking faithful. I greet the Genitori de Stelle
Association, with the Bishop of Avezzano, Monsignor Pietro Santoro; the
delegation of the Municipality of Bolsena and the members of the
Association of Bakers of Rome.
I greet the
scouts with the torch of the cradle of the Nativity at Bethlehem; the
Mariana Betania Oasis Community of Alvito and the students, particularly
those of the Capriotti Institute of San Benedetto del Tronto. I invite
all to prayer and to commitment in works of mercy so that Christmas is a
personal encounter with the Lord and arouses in us resolutions of
goodness and solidarity.
Finally, a
special greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Dear
young people, prepare yourselves for the mystery of the Incarnation with
the obedience of faith and humility, which were Mary’s. You, dear sick,
draw from her that strength and ardor for Jesus who comes among us. And
you, dear newlyweds, contemplate the example of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, to practice the same virtues in your family life’s journey.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
THE HOLY FATHER’S APPEAL
In the light
of my recent meeting with the President and Vice-President of the
Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I address
again a heartfelt appeal to all the Congolese so that, in this delicate
moment of their history, they are architects of reconciliation and
peace. May those who have political responsibilities listen to the voice
of their consciences, be able to see the cruel sufferings of their
countrymen and have the common good at heart. In assuring, my support
and my affection to the beloved people of that country, I invite all to
allow themselves to be guided by the light of the Redeemer of the world
and I pray that the Lord’s Birth will open paths of hope.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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