Pope: Christmas brings hope to the world. Appeal for peace in Congo

At the general audience, the Pope points out that the birth of Christ reveals a "trustworthy, visible, understandable hope, because it is founded in God." It is a "journey" beside Jesus "to the Father who awaits us." At the end of Francis makes an "urgent appeal" for peace and reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Hope has entered the world, with the incarnation of God the Son." When we speak of hope "it refers to what is not in man, and what is not visible" and "what we hope goes beyond our forces and our vision.  But the Birth of Christ, ushering in redemption, tells us about a different hope, a trustworthy, visible and understandable hope, because it is founded in God. " Pope Francis’ Wednesday general audience morning in the Paul VI at the Vatican was again focused on hope.

The pontiff met groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and from all over the world and his focused meditation on "The Birth of Jesus, the source of hope." "For Christians - said the Pope – hope means the certainty of being on the journey with Christ to the Father who awaits us. This hope never stops, this hope is always on the path and makes us walk. "

At the end of the audience Francis recalled the recent meeting with the president and vice-president of the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo and launched an "urgent appeal" to all citizens, so that "at this delicate moment in their history, they are artisans of reconciliation and peace ". "In assuring my support and my love -  concluded the Pope – to the beloved people of that country, I invite everyone to be guided by the light of the Redeemer of the world and I pray that the Lord's Christmas open paths of hope".

Here, below, the text of the catechesis of Pope Francis, which ends with the good wishes of "Merry Christmas of hope for all":

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We have just begun a journey of catechesis on the theme of hope, very appropriate to the season of Advent. So far we have been guided by the prophet Isaiah. Today, a few days before Christmas, I would like to reflect more specifically on the moment, so to speak, that hope entered the world, with the incarnation of the Son of God. The same Isaiah had foretold the birth of the Messiah in some passages "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, he will be given the name Emmanuel" (7:14); and also "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of its roots" (11.1). The meaning of Christmas reflected in these verses: God fulfills the promise by becoming man; He does not abandon His people, approaching to divest Himself of His divinity. In this way God shows His loyalty and inaugurates a new kingdom, that gives new hope to humanity. And what is this hope? Eternal life.

When we speak of hope, often it refers to what is not in man, and that is not visible. In fact, what we hope for goes beyond our abilities and vision. But the Birth of Christ, ushering in redemption, tells us about a different hope, a trustworthy, visible and understandable hope, because it is founded in God. He enters the world and gives us the strength to walk with Him: God walks with us in Jesus and we walk with Him toward the fullness of life giving us the strength to stand in a new way in the present, though it be tiring. So for the Christian hope means the certainty of being on the path with Christ to the Father who awaits us. This hope never ends, hope always is on the path and makes us walk. This hope, which the Child of Bethlehem gives us, provides a goal, a good destiny for the present, the salvation of humanity, the bliss of those who rely on God's mercy. St. Paul summarizes all this with the expression: "In hope we were saved" (Rom 8:24). That is, walking in this world with hope, we are saved. And here we can ask ourselves, each of us: Do I walk with hope or is my inner life stationary, closed? Is my heart locked in drawer or is this drawer full of hope locked and does it prevent me from walking with Jesus?

In many Christian homes, during the season of Advent, the crib is prepared, according to the tradition that dates back to St. Francis of Assisi. In its simplicity, the crib transmits hope; each character is immersed in this atmosphere of hope.

First of all we see the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem. The small village in Judea where a thousand years before he David was born, the shepherd boy chosen by God as king of Israel. Bethlehem is not a capital, and is therefore preferred by divine providence, who loves acting through the small and humble. In that place the long-awaited "son of David" was born, Jesus, in whom God's hope and the hope of man meet.

Then we look at Mary, Mother of hope. With her "yes" to God she opened the door of our world: her maiden heart was full of hope, all animated by faith; and so God has chosen her and she believed his word. She who for nine months was the ark of the new and eternal covenant, in the Grotto she contemplated the baby and sees in him the love of God, who comes to save his people and all humanity. Next to Mary, Joseph, a descendant of Jesse and David; he also believed the words of the angel, and looking at Jesus in the manger, ponders that the child is of the Holy Spirit, and that God ordered him to call him, "Jesus." In that name there is hope for every man, because through that woman's son, God will save humanity from death and sin. Therefore it is important to look at the crib!

And in the crib there are also pastors, representing the lowly and the poor who were waiting for the Messiah, the "consolation of Israel" (Lk 2:25) and "the redemption of Jerusalem" (Lk 2:38). In that Child they see the realization of the promises and hope that God's salvation finally comes for each of them. He who trusts in his own certainties, especially material ones, does not wait for the salvation of God. Keep this in mind: our securities will not save us; the only security that saves us is that of hope in God. It saves us because it is strong and makes us walk through life with joy, with the desire to do good, with the desire to become happy for eternity. Humble people, shepherds, instead trust in God, trust in Him and rejoice when they recognize in that Child the sign indicated by the angels (cf. Lk 2:12).

And the choir of angels announces what the child realizes: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased" (Lk 2:14). Christian hope is expressed in praise and thanksgiving to God, who inaugurated His Kingdom of love, justice and peace.

Dear brothers and sisters, these days, contemplating the crib, we are preparing for Christmas. It will truly be a celebration if we accept Jesus, the seed of hope that God lays in the furrows of our personal and community history. Each "yes" to Jesus who comes is a bud of hope. We have faith in this shoot of hope, yes: "Yes, Jesus, you can save me, you can save me." A Merry Christmas of hope to all!

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