On New Year’s Eve, believers and non-believers alike give thanks for all they have received in the last 12 months and express their hopes for the coming year, but Christians are called to cultivate their gratitude and hope following the example of Mary, Pope Francis said.
Vatican
Celebrating the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace, should mean making a commitment to opposing all war, to cherishing human life, feeding the hungry and speaking up for those who have no voice, Pope Francis said.
When St. Francis of Assisi staged the first Nativity scene 800 years ago, he did so to remind people of the powerful, awe-inspiring truth that God became human in Jesus, Pope Francis said.
Sharing the pilgrimage experience with people with disabilities is a testament to the Catholic Church’s ability to accompany all of its members and to proclaim the Gospel by caring for others, Pope Francis said.
To connect with God, Christians must disconnect from the “pollution of vain words and chatter” that reach them through social media and instead seek silence in the desert, Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY — Away in a cave near Greccio, Italy, St. Francis of Assisi had the first Nativity scene — a live one — staged for the faithful on Christmas Eve in 1223. A 15th-century fresco now decorating the cave inspired the Nativity scene erected in St. Peter’s Square for the 800th anniversary celebrations.
Christians must rely more on the Holy Spirit than on their own plans and strategies if they hope to fulfill their mission to share the good news of God’s love and of salvation in Christ, Pope Francis said.
Although he had an aide read his prepared talk to the people who had organized World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis had a few memories and questions he wanted to share himself. “Thank you, thank you for what you have done,” he told the group Nov. 30. “Thank you for all you set up so that this World Youth Day could be what it was: a strong point of evangelization, joy and youthful expression!”
Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and asked him to write a special introduction.
The poor, whether “the oppressed, fatigued, marginalized, victims of war,” migrants, the hungry, those without work or left without hope, “are not one, two, or three, they are a multitude,” Pope Francis said during a Mass celebrated for World Day of the Poor Nov. 19 in St. Peter’s Basilica.