Urbi et Orbi Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world, and all men and women,
whom the Lord loves!
“Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, quia natus est nobis
Dominus. A light will shine on us this day, the Lord is born for us” (Roman
Missal, Christmas, Entrance Antiphon for the Mass at Dawn)
The liturgy of
the Mass at Dawn reminded us that the night is now past, the day has begun; the light
radiating from the cave of Bethlehem shines upon us.
The Bible and the Liturgy
do not, however, speak to us about a natural light, but a different, special light,
which is somehow directed to and focused upon “us”, the same “us” for whom the Child
of Bethlehem “is born”. This “us” is the Church, the great universal family of those
who believe in Christ, who have awaited in hope the new birth of the Saviour, and
who today celebrate in mystery the perennial significance of this event.
At
first, beside the manger in Bethlehem, that “us” was almost imperceptible to human
eyes. As the Gospel of Saint Luke recounts, it included, in addition to Mary and
Joseph, a few lowly shepherds who came to the cave after hearing the message of the
Angels. The light of that first Christmas was like a fire kindled in the night.
All about there was darkness, while in the cave there shone the true light “that enlightens
every man” (Jn 1:9). And yet all this took place in simplicity and hiddenness, in
the way that God works in all of salvation history. God loves to light little lights,
so as then to illuminate vast spaces. Truth, and Love, which are its content, are
kindled wherever the light is welcomed; they then radiate in concentric circles, as
if by contact, in the hearts and minds of all those who, by opening themselves freely
to its splendour, themselves become sources of light. Such is the history of the
Church: she began her journey in the lowly cave of Bethlehem, and down the centuries
she has become a People and a source of light for humanity. Today too, in those who
encounter that Child, God still kindles fires in the night of the world, calling men
and women everywhere to acknowledge in Jesus the “sign” of his saving and liberating
presence and to extend the “us” of those who believe in Christ to the whole of mankind.
Wherever
there is an “us” which welcomes God’s love, there the light of Christ shines forth,
even in the most difficult situations. The Church, like the Virgin Mary, offers the
world Jesus, the Son, whom she herself has received as a gift, the One who came to
set mankind free from the slavery of sin. Like Mary, the Church does not fear, for
that Child is her strength. But she does not keep him for herself: she offers him
to all those who seek him with a sincere heart, to the earth’s lowly and afflicted,
to the victims of violence, and to all who yearn for peace. Today too, on behalf
of a human family profoundly affected by a grave financial crisis, yet even more by
a moral crisis, and by the painful wounds of wars and conflicts, the Church, in faithful
solidarity with mankind, repeats with the shepherds: “Let us go to Bethlehem” (Lk
2:15), for there we shall find our hope.
The “us” of the Church is alive in
the place where Jesus was born, in the Holy Land, inviting its people to abandon every
logic of violence and vengeance, and to engage with renewed vigour and generosity
in the process which leads to peaceful coexistence. The “us” 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 which lives in the region? At times
it is subject to violence and injustice, but it remains determined to make its own
contribution to the building of a society opposed to the logic of conflict and the
rejection of one’s neighbour. The “us” of the Church is active in Sri Lanka, in the
Korean peninsula and in the Philippines, as well as in the other countries of Asia,
as a leaven of reconciliation and peace. On the continent of Africa she does not
cease to lift her voice to God, imploring an end to every injustice in the Democratic
Republic of Congo; she invites the citizens of Guinea and Niger to respect for the
rights of every person and to dialogue; she begs those of Madagascar to overcome their
internal divisions and to be mutually accepting; and she reminds all men and women
that they are called to hope, despite the tragedies, trials and difficulties which
still afflict them. In Europe and North America, the “us” of the Church urges people
to leave behind the selfish and technicist mentality, to advance the common good and
to show respect for the persons who are most defenceless, starting with the unborn.
In Honduras she is assisting in process of rebuilding institutions; throughout Latin
America, the “us” of the Church is a source of identity, a fullness of truth and of
charity which no ideology can replace, a summons to respect for the inalienable rights
of each person and his or her integral development, a proclamation of justice and
fraternity, a source of unity.
In fidelity to the mandate of her Founder,
the Church shows solidarity with the victims of natural disasters and poverty, even
within opulent societies. In the face of the exodus of all those who migrate from
their homelands and are driven away by hunger, intolerance or environmental degradation,
the Church is a presence calling others to an attitude of acceptance and welcome.
In a word, the Church everywhere proclaims the Gospel of Christ, despite persecutions,
discriminations, attacks and at times hostile indifference. These, in fact, enable
her to share the lot of her Master and Lord.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, how
great a gift it is to be part of a communion which is open to everyone! It is the
communion of the Most Holy Trinity, from whose heart Emmanuel, Jesus, “God with us”,
came into the world. Like the shepherds of Bethlehem, let us contemplate, filled
with wonder and gratitude, this mystery of love and light! Happy Christmas to all!