VATICAN
CITY, 21 DEC 2011 (VIS) - "The greeting on everyone's lips during this
period is 'Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas Holidays!'. Let us ensure that,
also in our modern societies, this exchange of good wishes does not lose its profound
religious significance, and the feast does not become overshadowed by
external factors", said Benedict XVI during today's general audience,
his last before the Feast of the Lord's Nativity.
"With the Christmas liturgy the Church introduces us into the great
Mystery of the Incarnation", the Pope told faithful gathered in the Paul
VI Hall. "Christmas, in fact, is not simply the anniversary of the birth
of Jesus, it is the celebration of a Mystery which has marked and continues
to mark the history of man: God came to dwell amongst us, He became one of
us. ... During Midnight Mass on Christmas Night we will intone these words in
the responsorial Psalm: 'Today the Saviour is born for us'. ... By indicating
that Jesus is born 'today', the liturgy underlines that His birth touches and
permeates all of history. ... Of course, the redemption of humankind took
place at a specific and identifiable moment of history: in the event of Jesus
of Nazareth. But Jesus is the Son of God ... Who became flesh. Eternity
entered into the confines of time and space, making it possible to meet Him
'today'. ... When, in liturgical celebrations, we hear or pronounce the
phrase: 'Today the Saviour is born for us', we are not using an empty
conventional expression, what we mean is that 'today', now, God is giving us
the possibility to recognise and accept Him, as did the shepherds of
Bethlehem, so that He can also be born into and renew our lives".
The Pope then turned his attention to another aspect, reflecting on the birth
in Bethlehem in the light of the Paschal Mystery because, he said, "both
Christmas and Easter are feasts of redemption. Easter celebrates redemption
as a victory over sin and death. It marks the culminating moment when the
glory of the Man-God shines like the light of day. Christmas celebrates
redemption as the entry of God into history, when He became man in order to
bring man to God. It marks, so to speak, the starting point when the first
light of dawn begins to appear".
"Even the seasons of the year in which these two great feasts fall, at
least in some areas of the world, can help us understand this aspect. Easter
coincides with the beginning of spring when the sun triumphs over the cold
and the fog and renews the face of the earth. Christmas comes at the very
beginning of winter when the light and heat of the sun are unable to awaken
nature, covered in a shroud of cold under which, nonetheless, life is
pulsating".
"At Christmas we encounter the tenderness and love of God Who is attentive
to our weakness and sin, and lowers Himself to our level. ... Let us live
this Christmastime with joy. ... Above all, let us contemplate and experience
this Mystery in the celebration of the Eucharist, which is the heart of
Christmas. There Jesus is truly present, the true Bread descended from
heaven, the true Lamb sacrificed for our salvation. I wish all of you and
your families a truly Christian Christmas. May the exchange of greetings on
that day be an expression of our joy in knowing that God is near us, and that
He wishes to follow the journey of life with us", the Pope concluded.
The
poor cannot wait
At the end of his general audience, the Holy Father delivered greetings in a
number of languages to the pilgrims filling the Paul VI Hall, among them a
group of primary school children from Korea and another of Australian
seminarians. To Spanish speaking pilgrims he said: "I will pray to the
God Child for everyone, especially those who suffer. In these holy days, may
Christian charity be particularly active towards those most in need. The poor
can brook no delay".
AG/ VIS
20111221 (690)
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