Urbi et Orbi Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
“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!