[Special note: More notable messages and video clips for Christmas 2014 will be linked and / or posted by the evening of the 26th, Lord willing. http://j.mp/2Xmas14Msgs or
Isa
9:2 KJV The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. [My emphasis.]
Please
do not be overly annoyed by what many may consider the normal and common Roman
imperfection in the last sentence of Francis' message.
Text
of Pope Francis' homily during Christmas Eve Mass
News from The Associated Press Dec 24, 5:01 PM
EST http://j.mp/0X14MassMsg or http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_VATICAN_CHRISTMAS_EVE_TEXT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-12-24-17-01-47
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican's official
English-language translation of Pope Francis' prepared homily, to be delivered
in Italian, during Christmas Eve Mass on Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica.
Spelling and style are the Vatican's.
[-
- - - - - - - - - - - -]
"The people who walked in darkness have
seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has
light shined" (Is 9:2). "An angel of the Lord appeared to (the
shepherds) and the glory of the Lord shone around them" (Lk 2:9). This is
how the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birth of the
Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepest darkness. The
presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancels the sorrow of defeat
and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy and happiness.
We, too, in this blessed night, have come to
the house of God. We have passed through the darkness which envelops the earth,
guided by the flame of faith which illuminates our steps, and enlivened by the
hope of finding the "great light". By opening our hearts, we also can
contemplate the miracle of that child-sun who, arising from on high,
illuminates the horizon.
The origin of the darkness which envelops the
world is lost in the night of the ages. Let us think back to that dark moment
when the first crime of humanity was committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded
by envy, killed his brother Abel (cf. Gen 4:8). As a result, the unfolding of
the centuries has been marked by violence, wars, hatred and oppression.
But God, who placed a sense of expectation
within man made in his image and likeness, was waiting. He waited for so long
that perhaps at a certain point it seemed he should have given up. But he could
not give up because he could not deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). Therefore he
continued to wait patiently in the face of the corruption of man and peoples.
Through the course of history, the light that
shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient
fidelity is stronger than darkness and corruption. This is the message of
Christmas night. God does not know outbursts of anger or impatience; he is
always there, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, waiting to
catch from afar a glimpse of the lost son as he returns.
Isaiah's prophecy announces the rising of a
great light which breaks through the night. This light is born in Bethlehem and
is welcomed by the loving arms of Mary, by the love of Joseph, by the wonder of
the shepherds. When the angels announced the birth of the Redeemer to the
shepherds, they did so with these words: "This will be a sign for you: you
will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk
2:12).
The "sign" is the humility of God
taken to the extreme; it is the love with which, that night, he assumed our
frailty, our suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations. The
message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the
depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks
upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love
with our smallness.
On this holy night, while we contemplate the
Infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we are invited to reflect. How
do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God,
to be embraced by him, or do I prevent him from drawing close? "But I am
searching for the Lord" - we could respond. Nevertheless, what is most
important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to find me and caress me
with tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant's presence is: do
I allow God to love me?
More so, do we have the courage to welcome with
tenderness the difficulties and problems of those who are near to us, or do we
prefer impersonal solutions, perhaps effective but devoid of the warmth of the
Gospel? How much the world needs tenderness today!
The Christian response cannot be different from
God's response to our smallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness.
When we realize that God is in love with our smallness, that he made himself
small in order to better encounter us, we cannot help but open our hearts to
him, and beseech him: "Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of
tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of
closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict".
Dear brothers and sisters, on this holy night
we contemplate the Nativity scene: there "the people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light" (Is 9:1). People who were unassuming,
open to receiving the gift of God, were the ones who saw this light. This light
was not seen, however, by the arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws
according to their own personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us
look to the crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: "O Mary, show us
Jesus!'"
Related
Notes
Pope Francis Installation Mass Homily Text Pope
Francis urged the world to defend the poor and protect the environment during
his inauguration mass.The Pontiff also said that in order to protect other...
BBC News - Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St
Peter's Basilica on Thursday morning Pope Francis will wash the feet of
prisoners in a youth detention centr...
I2C 141225ba Isa9v2 Xmas14 Mass msg | I2C | 141225
1256 | Isaiah 9v2 Christmas 2014 Francis Mass
