IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The song of the angels that heralded
the birth of Christ urges men and women to seek peace in a world divided by
war, terrorism and greed, Pope Francis said.
“Today this message goes out to the ends of the
earth to reach all peoples, especially those scarred by war and harsh conflicts
that seem stronger than the yearning for peace,” the pope said Dec. 25.
Migrants, refugees, children suffering due to hunger and war,
victims of human trafficking as well as social and economic unrest were also
remembered by the pope.
“Peace to the peoples who suffer because of the
economic ambitions of the few, because of the sheer greed and the idolatry of
money, which leads to slavery,” he said.
An estimated 40,000 people slowly made their way through
security checkpoints into St. Peter’s Square to attend the pope’s solemn Christmas blessing “urbi et
orbi” (to the city and the world).
Heightened security following the
Dec. 19 terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany was evident as police cordoned off
streets and established multiple checkpoints throughout the area.
While police presence is standard
for major events in St. Peter’s, the added security was a sign of the times
where crowded areas have become a target for terrorists.
The pope prayed for “peace
to those who have lost a person dear to them as a result of brutal acts of
terrorism that has sown fear and death into the hearts of so many countries and
cities.”
Countries ravaged by the
scourge of war were also in the pope’s thoughts, particularly in “the
war-torn land of Syria, where far too much blood has been spilled,”
especially in the city Aleppo. The pope called on the world to support the
people of Syria with humanitarian assistance and to put an end to the conflict.
“It is time for weapons to
be silenced forever and the international community to actively seek a
negotiated solution so that civil coexistence can be restored in the
country,” he said.
The pope appealed for peace for the people of Ukraine,
“who to this day suffer the consequences of the conflict.”
The Vatican announced Dec. 23 that the first installment
of 6 million euro ($6.3 million) would be distributed on Christmas Day to
assist in relief efforts in Ukraine. Earlier this year, the pope called for a
collection across churches in Europe to help the people of the war-torn
country.
Iraq, Libya and Yemen, “where
their peoples suffer war and the brutality of terrorism,” were in the
pope’s prayers so that they may “be able to once again find unity and
harmony.”
The pope also remembered Africa,
especially Nigeria where fundamentalist terrorism “exploits children in
order to perpetrate horror and death” as well as South Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, calling on their leaders to choose the path of
dialogue rather than “the mindset of conflict.”
He also prayed for peace in the
Holy Land and that Israelis and Palestinians turn away from hate and revenge while
having “the courage and determination to write a new page of
history.”
Praying for an end to current
tensions, the pope also called for peace in Venezuela, Colombia, Myanmar and
the Korean peninsula
Christ’s birth, he said, is a sign of joy and a call for
the world to contemplate “the child Jesus who gives hope once again to
every person on the face of the earth.”
“‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.’
He is the ‘prince of peace;’ let us welcome him.”
After his address, the bells of St. Peter’s rang loudly, pealing
throughout the square as they did in the evening Dec. 24 following the
proclamation of Jesus’ birth during Christmas Mass.
The darkness of the night sky over St. Peter’s Basilica
was broken by the bright lights emanating from the colonnade and the Christmas
tree from the square.
Temperatures just above 40 degrees didn’t stop thousands
of people unable to enter the packed basilica from participating in the Mass, sitting
outside and watching the Mass on giant screens in St. Peter’s Square.
In his homily, the pope said the love of God is made
visible at Christ’s birth on a night of glory, joy and light “which would
illuminates those who walk in darkness.”
The shepherds are a witness to “the enduring
sign” of finding Jesus when they discover him wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger;” a sign that is given to all Christians today, the
pope said.
“If we want to celebrate Christmas authentically, we
need to contemplate this sign: the fragile simplicity of a small newborn, the
meekness of where he lies, the tender affection of the swaddling clothes. God
is there,” he said.
This sign of humility, he added, also reveals a paradox:
God who chose not to reveal himself through power, but rather through the
“poverty of a stable” and “in the simplicity of life.”
“In order to discover him, we need to go there,
where he is: we need to bow down, humble ourselves, make ourselves small,”
the pope said.
The image of the child in the manger, he continued, is a
challenge for all Christians to “leave behind fleeting illusions” and
“renounce insatiable claims.”
It is also a calling for the world to respond to the
sufferings of children in this age who “suffer the squalid mangers that
devour dignity: hiding underground to escape bombardment, on the pavements of a
large city, at the bottom of a boat overladen with immigrants,” the pope
said.
“Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the
children who are not allowed to be born, by those who cry because no one
satiates their hunger, by those who do not have toys in their hands, but rather
weapons,” he said.
Christmas is not only a mystery of hope but also of
sadness where “love is not received and life discarded” as seen by
the indifference felt by Mary and Joseph “who found the doors closed and
placed Jesus in a manger.”
That same indifference, he said, exists today when
commercialism overshadows the light of God and “when we are concerned for
gifts but cold towards those who are marginalized.”
“This worldliness has taken Christmas hostage. It
needs to be freed!” the pope said departing from his prepared remarks.
However, the hope of Christmas is the light that
outshines this darkness and “draws us to himself” through his humble
birth in Bethlehem,” he said.
Noting that Bethlehem means “house of bread,”
the pope said that Jesus was born to nourish us, creating a “direct thread
joining the manger and the cross.”
“In this way, he seems to tell us that he is born as
bread for us; he enters life to give us his life; he comes into our world to
give us his love. He does not come to devour or to command but to nourish and
to serve,” the pope said.
Pope Francis said that like the shepherds, who although
marginalized are chosen to witness the birth of Christ, Christians are reminded
of God’s closeness and can enjoy the true spirit of Christmas: “the beauty
of being loved by God.”
“Contemplating his humble and infinite love, let us
say to him: thank you, thank you because you have done all this for me,”
the pope said.
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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.
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