(December 21, 2011) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called
the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages. The general audience of Dec.
21, the last before Christmas on Sunday, was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience
hall. Speaking on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims, an aide wished the Pope
for Christmas, and introduced the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered
a discourse in English:
Listen: Dear
Brothers and Sisters, As Christmas approaches, I offer prayerful good wishes
to you and your families for a spiritually fruitful celebration of the Lord’s birth.
At Midnight Mass, we sing: “Today a Saviour is born for us”. This “Today” evokes
an eternal present, for the mystery of Christ’s coming transcends time and permeates
all history. “Today” – every day - we are invited to discover the presence of God’s
saving love in our midst. In the birth of Jesus, God comes to us and asks us to receive
him, so that he can be born in our lives and transform them, and our world, by the
power of his love. The Christmas liturgy also invites us to contemplate Christ’s
birth against the backdrop of his paschal mystery. Christmas points beyond itself,
to the redemption won for us on the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection. May
this Christmas fill you with joy in the knowledge that God has drawn near to us and
is with us at every moment of our lives. I greet all the English-speaking
visitors present, including the pilgrimage groups from Singapore and the United States.
My special greetings and good wishes go to the Tenth World Congress of the International
Association of Maternal and Neonatal Health. My greeting also goes to the primary
school children from Korea. I welcome the alumni of the Pontifical North American
College who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary of ordination, and the students
of Holy Spirit Seminary in Brisbane, Australia. Upon all of you and your families
I invoke God’s abundant blessings. Merry Christmas!