Christmas Message of Pope Benedict XVI
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, and youall men and women, whom the Lord!
" fulgebit Lux hodie super nos,
quia natus est nobis Dominus .
- Today the light will shine on us,
Because the Lord is born for us "
( Roman Missal, Christmas, Mass at Dawn, Entrance Antiphon).
The liturgy of the Mass Dawn reminded us that the night is over, the day has begun, the light that emanates from the cave of Bethlehem shines on us.
However, the Bible and the liturgy does not speak of natural light, but a different light special in some way and focused upon "us," the same "us" for whom the Child of Bethlehem "was born." This "us" is the Church, the great universal family of believers in Christ, who waited with hope the new birth of the Savior and who today celebrate the mystery of the enduring significance of this event.
beginning, beside the manger of Bethlehem, the "we" was almost invisible to human eyes. As we see in the Gospel of Luke, included, in addition to Mary and Joseph, a few lowly shepherds who came to the cave message of the Angels. The light of the first Christmas was like a fire burning in the night. All around was darkness, while the true light shone in the cave "that enlightens every man" (Jn 1.9). Yet everything happens in simplicity and seclusion, in the style with which God works in salvation history. God loves to light lights, so as then to outreach activities. Truth, Love, which are its content, light where light is accepted, then radiate in concentric circles, as if by contact, in the hearts and minds of many, opening freely to its former glory, themselves become When light sources. It is the story of the Church begins her journey in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, and the People through the ages and becomes a source of light for humanity. Even today, in those who encounter that Child, God still lights fires in the night of the world to call people to recognize Jesus as the "sign" of his saving and liberating and enlarging the "we" of believers in Christ to the whole humanity.
Wherever there is a "we" who embraced the love of God, there shines the light of Christ, even in difficult situations. The Church, like the Virgin Mary, Jesus offers the world, the Son, whom she herself received as a gift, which came to free us from the slavery of sin. Like Mary, the Church has no fear, because that child is his strength. But she does not keep to herself: she offers to those who seek Him with a sincere heart, the humble and the afflicted of the earth, victims of violence, to those who yearn for peace. Even today, for the human family profoundly affected by a severe economic crisis, but more moral, and painful wounds of war and conflicts with the style of sharing and of fidelity to man, the Church repeats with the shepherds: "Let's go to Bethlehem" (Lk 2.15), we find our hope.
The "we" of the Church alive in the place where Jesus was born in the Holy Land, to invite its inhabitants to abandon all logic of violence and vengeance, and to engage with renewed vigor and generosity in the path towards peaceful coexistence. The "we" of the Church is present in the other countries of the Middle East. How can we forget the troubled situation in Iraq and the "little flock" of Christians living in the region? At times it is violence and injustice, but it remains determined to contribute to building of a society opposed to the logic of conflict and the refusal of a neighbor. "We" the Church is active in Sri Lanka, the Korean peninsula and in the Philippines, as well as in other countries of Asia, as a leaven of reconciliation and peace. In the African continent continues to raise his voice to God, imploring the end of every injustice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and calls on the citizens of Guinea and Niger to respect the rights of every person and to dialogue, but for those of Madagascar Calls to overcome internal divisions and accept one another, to remember all who are called to hope, despite the tragedies, trials and difficulties that continue to afflict them. In Europe and North America, the "we" of the Church urges people to overcome the selfish mentality and technology, promote the common good and to respect the weak, beginning with the unborn. In Honduras, helping to rebuilding institutions, throughout Latin America, the "we" of the Church is a source of identity, the fullness of truth and love that no ideology can change, called for respect for the inalienable rights of every person and to its development full, the message of justice and fraternity, a source of unity.
fidelity to the mandate of her Founder, the Church is in solidarity with those affected by natural disasters and poverty, even in affluent societies. Face of the exodus of the migrants from their land and are driven away by hunger, intolerance or environmental degradation, the Church is a presence that calls to the reception. In a word, wherever the Church proclaims the Gospel of Christ, despite persecution, discrimination, indifference and attacks, sometimes hostile, that - indeed - allowing it to share the fate of his Master and Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, what a great gift to be part of a communion is for all! It is the communion of the Holy Trinity, from whose heart came into the world Emmanuel, Jesus, God with us. Like the shepherds of Bethlehem, contemplate, filled with wonder and gratitude, this mystery of love and light! Merry Christmas to all!
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