At 12:15pm today, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a number of delegations from Trentino and from the Bavarian communities of Hirschau, Schnaittendach and Freudenberg for the gift of the crèche and the Christmas tree which have been set up in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
I welcome you cordially and thank you for the gifts that you have prepared. They are very beautiful; and it brings me joy to think that not only have you presented them to the Pope and to pilgrims who will be able to admire them, but above all to the Lord Jesus: because he is the one being celebrated!
I thank you for your courteous intentions, for the help, for the work of Monsignor Voderholzer and Monsignor Bressan, Mistress Merk and Mister Falk and also Mister Thun. I greet you all: the Authorities from the Bavarian communities of Hirschau, Schnaittenbach and Freudenberg, who have donated the Christmas tree; and the representatives of the Province of Trento, who together with the Archdioceses have set up the crib. I also want to thank the little artists who decorated the tree, and congratulate them: you are still very young, but already your work is on display in Saint Peter's Square! This is beautiful. Bravo; keep going! Michelangelo started in the same way!
The decorations which, thanks to the work of the Lene Thun Foundation have also been installed, reflect your dreams. These desires of your hearts are now in the right place, because they are right beside the Child of Bethlehem: confided to Him, who came to live among us (Jn 1:14). In fact, Jesus did not simply appear on the earth. He did not only devote a bit of his time, but he came and shared our life, to welcome our desires, because he wanted, and still wants to live here, together with us and for us. He cares about our world, which at Christmas, has become his world. The crib reminds us of this: God, in his great mercy, came down to us to stay permanently with us.
The crib also tells us that He never imposes his will upon us. Always remember this, you children and young people: the Lord never imposes his will on us. In order to save us, he didn't change history by performing a great miracle. Instead, he came in all simplicity, humility and meekness. God doesn't love the revolutions of the powerful throughout history, he doesn't use a magic wand to change situations. Instead, he makes himself small, he comes in the form of a child; to help us discover love; to touch our hearts with his humble goodness; to shake up, with his poverty, all those who are scrambling to accumulate the false treasures of this world.
These were also Saint Francis' intentions when he invented the crib. He - according to Franciscan sources - wanted to commemorate the Child who was born in Bethlehem, to somehow catch a glimpse with the eyes of our bodies the hardships due to a lack of material comforts in which a newborn finds himself. In fact, in this scene, we honour simplicity, we exalt poverty, we praise humility (468-469). I invite you to keep the crèche before you, for there, the tenderness of God speaks to us. There, we contemplate the divine mercy that took on human flesh and we can soften our gaze.
Above all, however, he wants to stir our hearts. It's good that there is a crib in this scene, which immediately captures the mystery of Christmas. A person who is doing good work, bending down in order to help one who is elderly. He is not only looking toward God, but also imitating him, because like God, he is mercifully bending toward those who are in need. Your gifts, which will be lit up tonight, will attract many visitors and above all will rekindle the true light of Christmas in people's lives. Thank you all! And please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to donors of the crib and Christmas tree
displayed in Saint Peter's Square
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
I welcome you cordially and thank you for the gifts that you have prepared. They are very beautiful; and it brings me joy to think that not only have you presented them to the Pope and to pilgrims who will be able to admire them, but above all to the Lord Jesus: because he is the one being celebrated!
I thank you for your courteous intentions, for the help, for the work of Monsignor Voderholzer and Monsignor Bressan, Mistress Merk and Mister Falk and also Mister Thun. I greet you all: the Authorities from the Bavarian communities of Hirschau, Schnaittenbach and Freudenberg, who have donated the Christmas tree; and the representatives of the Province of Trento, who together with the Archdioceses have set up the crib. I also want to thank the little artists who decorated the tree, and congratulate them: you are still very young, but already your work is on display in Saint Peter's Square! This is beautiful. Bravo; keep going! Michelangelo started in the same way!
The decorations which, thanks to the work of the Lene Thun Foundation have also been installed, reflect your dreams. These desires of your hearts are now in the right place, because they are right beside the Child of Bethlehem: confided to Him, who came to live among us (Jn 1:14). In fact, Jesus did not simply appear on the earth. He did not only devote a bit of his time, but he came and shared our life, to welcome our desires, because he wanted, and still wants to live here, together with us and for us. He cares about our world, which at Christmas, has become his world. The crib reminds us of this: God, in his great mercy, came down to us to stay permanently with us.
The crib also tells us that He never imposes his will upon us. Always remember this, you children and young people: the Lord never imposes his will on us. In order to save us, he didn't change history by performing a great miracle. Instead, he came in all simplicity, humility and meekness. God doesn't love the revolutions of the powerful throughout history, he doesn't use a magic wand to change situations. Instead, he makes himself small, he comes in the form of a child; to help us discover love; to touch our hearts with his humble goodness; to shake up, with his poverty, all those who are scrambling to accumulate the false treasures of this world.
These were also Saint Francis' intentions when he invented the crib. He - according to Franciscan sources - wanted to commemorate the Child who was born in Bethlehem, to somehow catch a glimpse with the eyes of our bodies the hardships due to a lack of material comforts in which a newborn finds himself. In fact, in this scene, we honour simplicity, we exalt poverty, we praise humility (468-469). I invite you to keep the crèche before you, for there, the tenderness of God speaks to us. There, we contemplate the divine mercy that took on human flesh and we can soften our gaze.
Above all, however, he wants to stir our hearts. It's good that there is a crib in this scene, which immediately captures the mystery of Christmas. A person who is doing good work, bending down in order to help one who is elderly. He is not only looking toward God, but also imitating him, because like God, he is mercifully bending toward those who are in need. Your gifts, which will be lit up tonight, will attract many visitors and above all will rekindle the true light of Christmas in people's lives. Thank you all! And please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you.
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