At noon today in Rome (6:00am EST) inside the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with family members of the staff of the Holy See and of the Vatican City State in order to exchange Christmas greetings.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for coming, many of you have also brought your family members. I was pleased to greet all the families, but the prize goest to the 93-year-old great-grandmother, with her daughter who is the grandmother, along with their children who are parents to two children. Families like that are beautiful! And you work for the family, for the children, so that families can go on. This is a grace! Take care of your families. And Merry Christmas to all of you!
Christmas is a feast par excellence of joy, but we often realize that people, and sometimes we ourselves, are caught up in many things and in the end, there is no joy, or if there is, it is very superficial. Why?
I am reminded of that expression by the French writer Léon Bloy: There is only one sadness, [...] that of not being saints (La donna povera, Reggio Emilia 1978, page 375, cf Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et exsultate, 34). Therefore, the opposite of sadness - which is joy - is linked to being saints. Also the joy of Christmas. Be good, or at least have the desire to be good.
Let's look at the crib. Who is happy, in the crib? I would like to ask you children, who love to look at the statues ... and maybe even move them a bit, move them, angering your fathers who arranged them with such care!
So who is happy in the crib? Our Lady and Saint Joseph are full of joy: they are looking at the Child Jesus and they are happy because, after a thousand worries, they have accepted this gift of God, with so much faith and so much love. They are overflowing with holiness and with joy. And you will tell me that this is forced! They are the Madonna and Saint Joseph! Yes, but we should not think it was easy for them: saints are not born, they become, and this is true for them too.
Then, the shepherds are full of joy. Even the shepherds were holy, sure, because they responded to the proclamation of the angels, they immediately rushed to the stable and recognized the sign of the Child in the manger. It was not obvious. In particular, in the cribs there is often a young shepherd, who is looking towards the cave with a dreamy, enchanted air: that shepherd expresses the astonished joy of those who welcome the mystery of Jesus with a child's spirit. This is a trait of holiness: to preserve the capacity to be amazed, to wonder at the gifts of God, at his surprises, and the greatest gift, the ever new surprise is Jesus. The great surprise is God!
Then, in some cribs, the bigger ones, with so many characters, there are the tradesmen: the cobbler, the water trapper, the blacksmith, the baker ..., and so on and so forth. And everyone is happy. Why? Because they are infected by the joy of the event in which they participate, that is, the birth of Jesus. So their work is also sanctified by the presence of Jesus, by his coming among us.
And this also makes us think of our work. Of course, working always involves a bit of fatigue, it's normal. But in my homeland I knew someone who was never tired: he pretended to work, but he did not work. It was not hard, of course! But if everyone reflects a little of the holiness of Jesus, it takes very little, a small ray - a smile, a bit of attention, a courtesy, an apology - then the whole work environment becomes more breathable, is not it? The heavy climate that sometimes we men and women create with our arrogance, closures, prejudices, and work is even better, more fruitful.
There is one thing that makes us sad in our work, something that makes the work environment sick: that is gossip. Please do not speak badly about others, do not speak badly. Yes, but that one dislikes me, and that one .... Look, pray for him, but do not speak badly, please, because it destroys: it destroys friendship, spontaneity. And do not criticize this and that. Look, it's better to keep quiet. If you have something against someone else, go and say it directly. But do not speak badly. Ah father, it happens by itself, speaking badly ... But there is a good medicine to help us not to speak badly, I'll tell you what it is: bite your tongue. When you feel like speaking badly, bite your tongue and then you will not talk.
Even in the workplace there is the holiness of next door (cf Gaudete et exsultate, 6-9). Even here in the Vatican, of course, I can testify to this. I know some of you who are an example of life: you work for your family, and always with a smile, with healthy, beautiful hard work. Holiness is possible. It's possible. This is now my sixth Christmas as Bishop of Rome, and I must say that I have known several saints who work here. Saints who live the Christian life well, and if they do something bad they beg pardon. But they go on with the family. You can live like this. It is a grace, and it is so beautiful. Usually these are people who do not appear, they are simple people, modest, but who do so much good in their work and in their relationships with others. And they are joyful people; not because they always laugh, no, but because they have a great serenity inside and know how to transmit it to others. And where does that serenity come from? Always from him, Jesus, God-with-us. He is the source of our joy, both personal and family joy, both at home and at work.
So, my hope is this: be saints, in order to be happy. But not imaginary saints, no, no. Normal saints. Saints in flesh and bone, with your own characteristics, your own defects, even with your sins - let us ask forgiveness and let us keep on going - but let us be ready to allow ourselves to be caught up in the presence of Jesus in our midst, ready to run to Him, like the shepherds, to see the One who is coming, the incredible Sign that God has given to us. What did the angels say? Behold, we proclaim great joy to you, which shall be for all the people (Lk 2:10). Will we go out to see for ourselves? or will we be taken up by other things.
Dear brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of holiness. I assure you, this is the path to joy. Merry Christmas to all of you!
(Original text in Italian)
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
offered to members of the families of the
staff at the Vatican and within the Vatican City State
Dear brothers and sisters,
Thank you for coming, many of you have also brought your family members. I was pleased to greet all the families, but the prize goest to the 93-year-old great-grandmother, with her daughter who is the grandmother, along with their children who are parents to two children. Families like that are beautiful! And you work for the family, for the children, so that families can go on. This is a grace! Take care of your families. And Merry Christmas to all of you!
Christmas is a feast par excellence of joy, but we often realize that people, and sometimes we ourselves, are caught up in many things and in the end, there is no joy, or if there is, it is very superficial. Why?
I am reminded of that expression by the French writer Léon Bloy: There is only one sadness, [...] that of not being saints (La donna povera, Reggio Emilia 1978, page 375, cf Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et exsultate, 34). Therefore, the opposite of sadness - which is joy - is linked to being saints. Also the joy of Christmas. Be good, or at least have the desire to be good.
Let's look at the crib. Who is happy, in the crib? I would like to ask you children, who love to look at the statues ... and maybe even move them a bit, move them, angering your fathers who arranged them with such care!
So who is happy in the crib? Our Lady and Saint Joseph are full of joy: they are looking at the Child Jesus and they are happy because, after a thousand worries, they have accepted this gift of God, with so much faith and so much love. They are overflowing with holiness and with joy. And you will tell me that this is forced! They are the Madonna and Saint Joseph! Yes, but we should not think it was easy for them: saints are not born, they become, and this is true for them too.
Then, the shepherds are full of joy. Even the shepherds were holy, sure, because they responded to the proclamation of the angels, they immediately rushed to the stable and recognized the sign of the Child in the manger. It was not obvious. In particular, in the cribs there is often a young shepherd, who is looking towards the cave with a dreamy, enchanted air: that shepherd expresses the astonished joy of those who welcome the mystery of Jesus with a child's spirit. This is a trait of holiness: to preserve the capacity to be amazed, to wonder at the gifts of God, at his surprises, and the greatest gift, the ever new surprise is Jesus. The great surprise is God!
Then, in some cribs, the bigger ones, with so many characters, there are the tradesmen: the cobbler, the water trapper, the blacksmith, the baker ..., and so on and so forth. And everyone is happy. Why? Because they are infected by the joy of the event in which they participate, that is, the birth of Jesus. So their work is also sanctified by the presence of Jesus, by his coming among us.
And this also makes us think of our work. Of course, working always involves a bit of fatigue, it's normal. But in my homeland I knew someone who was never tired: he pretended to work, but he did not work. It was not hard, of course! But if everyone reflects a little of the holiness of Jesus, it takes very little, a small ray - a smile, a bit of attention, a courtesy, an apology - then the whole work environment becomes more breathable, is not it? The heavy climate that sometimes we men and women create with our arrogance, closures, prejudices, and work is even better, more fruitful.
There is one thing that makes us sad in our work, something that makes the work environment sick: that is gossip. Please do not speak badly about others, do not speak badly. Yes, but that one dislikes me, and that one .... Look, pray for him, but do not speak badly, please, because it destroys: it destroys friendship, spontaneity. And do not criticize this and that. Look, it's better to keep quiet. If you have something against someone else, go and say it directly. But do not speak badly. Ah father, it happens by itself, speaking badly ... But there is a good medicine to help us not to speak badly, I'll tell you what it is: bite your tongue. When you feel like speaking badly, bite your tongue and then you will not talk.
Even in the workplace there is the holiness of next door (cf Gaudete et exsultate, 6-9). Even here in the Vatican, of course, I can testify to this. I know some of you who are an example of life: you work for your family, and always with a smile, with healthy, beautiful hard work. Holiness is possible. It's possible. This is now my sixth Christmas as Bishop of Rome, and I must say that I have known several saints who work here. Saints who live the Christian life well, and if they do something bad they beg pardon. But they go on with the family. You can live like this. It is a grace, and it is so beautiful. Usually these are people who do not appear, they are simple people, modest, but who do so much good in their work and in their relationships with others. And they are joyful people; not because they always laugh, no, but because they have a great serenity inside and know how to transmit it to others. And where does that serenity come from? Always from him, Jesus, God-with-us. He is the source of our joy, both personal and family joy, both at home and at work.
So, my hope is this: be saints, in order to be happy. But not imaginary saints, no, no. Normal saints. Saints in flesh and bone, with your own characteristics, your own defects, even with your sins - let us ask forgiveness and let us keep on going - but let us be ready to allow ourselves to be caught up in the presence of Jesus in our midst, ready to run to Him, like the shepherds, to see the One who is coming, the incredible Sign that God has given to us. What did the angels say? Behold, we proclaim great joy to you, which shall be for all the people (Lk 2:10). Will we go out to see for ourselves? or will we be taken up by other things.
Dear brothers and sisters, do not be afraid of holiness. I assure you, this is the path to joy. Merry Christmas to all of you!
(Original text in Italian)
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