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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Feast of the Epiphany!

Today the Church celebrates the manifestation of Jesus, and the Gospel concentrates on the Magi, who at the end of a long journey reach Jerusalem to adore Jesus.

If we look closely, we will discover something a bit stranger: while these wise men from far away come to find Jesus, those who were close by do not take one step towards the grotto in Bethlehem. Drawn and guided by the star, the Magi face enormous expenses, make their time available, accept the many risks and uncertainties of which there was no shortage in those times. And yet they overcome every difficulty to get to see the King Messiah, because they know that something unique is happening in the history of humanity, and they do not want to miss the event. They had inspiration within, and they followed it.

Instead, those who live in Jerusalem, who should be the happiest and the most prompt to rush, stay still. The priests and theologians correctly interpret the Sacred Scriptures and provide directions to the Magi about where to find the Messiah, but they do not move from their “desks”. They are satisfied with what they have, and they do not go seeking; they do not think it is worth the effort to leave Jerusalem.

This fact, sisters and brothers, makes us reflect and in a certain sense provokes us, because it raises a question: to what category do we, I, belong today? Are we more similar to the shepherds, who on the very night itself go in haste to the grotto, and the Magi from the east, who set out confidently in search of the Son of God made man; or are we more similar to those who, despite being physically very close to Him, do not open the doors of their heart and their life, remaining closed and insensitive to Jesus’ presence? Let us ask ourselves this question. To which group of people do I belong? According to a story, a fourth King arrives late in Jerusalem, precisely during Jesus’ crucifixion – this is a beautiful story; it is not historical, but it is a beautiful story – because he stopped along the way to help those in need, giving them the precious gifts he had brought for Jesus. Finally, an old man arrived and said to him: “In truth I say to you, all that you have done for the least of your brothers, you have done it for me”. The Lord knows everything that we have done for others.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us so that, imitating the shepherds and the Magi, we are able to recognize Jesus close by, in the poor, in the Eucharist, in the abandoned, in our brother, in our sister.

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“We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage” (Mt 2:2).  This is the testimony that the Magi gave to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, announcing to them that the king of the Jews was born.

The Magi testified that they had set out in a different direction in their lives because they had seen a new light in the sky. Let us pause to reflect on this image as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord during this Jubilee of hope. I would like to highlight three characteristics of the star about which Matthew the Evangelist speaks: it is bright, it is visible to all and it points the way.

First of all, the star is bright. Many rulers at the time of Jesus called themselves “stars” because they felt important, powerful and famous. Yet the light that revealed the miracle of Christmas to the Magi was not any of these “lights”. Their artificial and cold splendour, arising from their scheming and power games, could not satisfy the needs of the Magi who were searching for newness and hope. Instead, they were satisfied by a different kind of light, symbolized by the star, which illumines and warms others by allowing itself to burn brightly and be consumed. The star speaks to us of that unique light that can show to all people the way to salvation and happiness, namely that of love. This is the only light that can make us happy.

Above all, this light is the love of God, who became man and gave himself to us by sacrificing his life. As we reflect, then, we can see that this light likewise calls us to give ourselves for one another, becoming, with his help, a mutual sign of hope, even in the darkest nights of our lives. Let think about this: are we radiant with hope? Are we able to give hope to others with the light of our faith?

The star led the Magi to Bethlehem by its brightness. We too, by our love, can bring to Jesus the people that we meet, enabling them to see in the Son of God made man the beautyof the Father’s face (cf. Is 60:2) and his way of loving, which is through closeness, compassion and tenderness. Let us never forget this: God is close, compassionate and tender. This is love: closeness, compassion and tenderness. Moreover, we can do this without the need for extraordinary means or sophisticated methods, but simply by making our hearts bright with faith, our gazes generous in welcome, our gestures and words full of gentleness and kindness.

Thus, as we reflect on the Magi, who fixed their eyes on heaven in searching for the star, let us ask the Lord that we might be bright lights that can lead one another to an encounter with him (cf. Mt 5:14-16). How sad it is when someone is not a light for others.

Now we come to the second of the star’s characteristics: it is visible to all.  The Magi were not following the clues of a secret code, but a star that they saw shining in the sky. While they observed it, others – such as Herod and the scribes – were not even aware of its presence. Yet the star is always there, accessible to those who raise their glance to heaven in search of a sign of hope. Are we a sign of hope for others?

This too holds an important message. God does not reveal himself to exclusive groups or to a privileged few. God offers his companionship and guidance to those who seek him with a sincere heart (cf. Ps 145:18). Indeed, he often anticipates our own questions, coming to seek us even before we ask (cf. Rom 10:20; Is 65:1). For this reason, in Nativity scenes, we portray the Magi with the features of all ages and races: a young person, an adult, an elderly person, reflecting the different peoples of the earth. We do this in order to remind ourselves that God seeks everyone, always. God seeks everyone, everyone.

We do well to meditate on this today, at a time when individuals and nations are equipped with ever more powerful means of communication, and yet seem to have become less willing to understand, accept and encounter others in their diversity!

The star, which shines in the sky and offers its light to all, reminds us that the Son of God came into the world to encounter every man and woman on earth, whatever ethnic group, language or people to which they belong (cf. Acts 10:34-35; Rev 5:9), and that he entrusts to us that same universal mission (cf. Is 60:3). In other words, God calls us to reject anything that discriminates, excludes or discards people, and instead to promote, in our communities and neighbourhoods, a strong culture of welcome, in which the narrow places of fear and denunciation are replaced by open spaces of encounter, integration and sharing of life; safe spaces where everyone can find warmth and shelter.

The star is in the sky, then, not in order to remain distant and inaccessible, but so that its light may be visible to all, that it may reach every home and overcome every barrier, bringing hope to the most remote and forgotten corners of the planet. It is in the sky so that it can tell everyone, by its generous light, that God does not refuse or forget anyone (cf. Is 49:15). Why? Because he is a Father whose greatest joy is to see his children returning home, gathered together from all parts of the world (cf. Is 60:4). He delights to see his children building bridges, clearing paths, searching for those who are lost and carrying on their shoulders those who struggle to walk, so that no one is left behind and all may share in the joy of the Father’s house.

The star speaks to us of God’s dream that men and women everywhere, in all their rich variety, will together form one family that can live harmoniously in prosperity and peace (cf. Is 2:2-5).

This brings us to the third of the star’s characteristics: it points the way. This too is a helpful insight, especially in the context of the Holy Year that we are celebrating, in which one of the main features is pilgrimage.

The light of the star invites us to undertake an interior journey that, as Saint John Paul II wrote, frees our hearts from all that is not charity, in order to “encounter Christ fully, professing our faith in him and receiving the abundance of his mercy” (Letter concerning Pilgrimage to the Places linked to the History of Salvation, 29 June 1999, 12).

Walking together is “traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life” (cf. Spes Non Confundit, 5). By looking at the star, we can also renew our commitment to be women and men of “the Way”, as Christians were referred to in the first years of the Church (cf. Acts 9:2).

Thus may the Lord make us lights leading others to himself; may he make us generous, like Mary, in giving of ourselves, welcoming and humble in walking together, so that we may meet him, recognize him and do him homage. Renewed by him, may we go out to bring the light of his love into the world.

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Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today the Gospel (cf. Jn 1:1-18), talking to us about Jesus, Word incarnate, tells us that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). It reminds us, then, how powerful is God's love, which is not overcome by anything and which, despite obstacles and rejections, continues to shine and illuminate our path.

We see it at Christmas, when the Son of God, made man, overcomes so many walls and so many divisions. He confronts the closed minds and hearts of the “great” of His time, who are concerned more with defending power than seeking the Lord (cf. Mt 2:3-18). Then, he shares the humble life of Mary and Joseph, who welcome Him and raise Him with love, but with the limited possibilities and the hardships of those without means: they were poor. He offers Himself, fragile and defenceless, to the encounter with the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:8-18), men whose hearts are marked by the harshness of life and the disdain of society; and then with the Magi (cf. Mt 2:1) who, driven by the desire to know Him, face a long journey and find Him in a home of ordinary people, in great poverty.

Faced with these and many other challenges, which seem contradictions, God never stops – let us listen to this clearly, God never stops. He finds a thousand ways to reach everyone, each and every one of us, wherever we are, without calculation and without conditions, opening even in the darkest nights of humanity windows of light that the darkness cannot obscure (cf. Is 9:1-6). It is a reality that consoles us and encourages us, especially in a time such as ours, a time that is not easy, where there is a great need for light, for hope, and a need for peace, a world where men at times create situations so complicated that it seems impossible to get out of them. It seems impossible to get out of them, from many situations. But today the Word of God tells us that it is not so! Rather, it calls us to imitate the God of love, opening up glimmers of light wherever we can, with whomever we meet, in any context: family, social, international. It invites us not to fear taking the first step – this is the Lord’s invitation today – not to fear taking the first step. It takes courage to do it, but let us not be afraid to throw open bright windows of closeness to those who are suffering, of forgiveness, of compassion and reconciliation: these are the many first steps we must take to make the journey clearer, safer and possible for all. And this invitation resounds in a particular way in the Jubilee Year that has just begun, urging us to be messengers of hope with a simple but concrete “yes” to life, with choices that bring life. Let us do this, all of us, this: this is the way of salvation!

And so, at the beginning of a new year, we can ask ourselves: how can I open a window of light in my environment and in my relationships? Where can I be a glimmer of light that lets God’s love pass through? What is the first step I should take today?

May Mary, star that leads to Jesus, help us to be shining witnesses of the Father’s love for everyone.

05.01.25

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

The surprise and the joy of Christmas continue in today’s Gospel (Lk 2:16-21), which narrates the arrival of the shepherds in the grotto in Bethlehem. Indeed, after the proclamation of the angels, “they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger” (v. 16). This encounter fills everyone with wonder, because the shepherds “made known the message that had been told them about this child” (v. 17): the newborn is the “saviour”, the “Messiah”, the “Lord” (v. 11)!

Let us reflect on what the shepherds saw in Bethlehem, namely, the infant Jesus, and also on what they did not see, that is, the heart of Mary, who kept and reflected on all these things (cf. v. 19).

First and foremost, the infant Jesus: this Hebrew name means “God saves”, and this is precisely what He will do. Indeed, the Lord came into the world to give us His very life. Let us think about this: all men are sons, but none of us chose to be born. Instead, God chose to be born for us. God chose. Jesus is the revelation of His eternal love, which brings peace into the world.

The heart of Mary, the Virgin Mother, corresponds to the newborn Messiah, who manifests the mercy of the Father. This heart is the ear that listened to the proclamation of the Archangel; this heart is the hand of the bride given to Joseph; this heart is the embrace that enveloped Elizabeth in her old age. Hope beats in the heart of Mary, Our Mother; hope beats for the redemption and salvation of every creature.

Mothers! Mothers always have their children at heart. Today, on this first day of the year, dedicated to peace, let us think of all the mothers who rejoice in their heart, and of all the mothers who have a heart full of suffering, because their children have been taken away by violence, by arrogance, by hatred. How beautiful is peace! And how inhuman is war, which breaks the hearts of mothers!

In the light of these reflections, we can each ask ourselves: do I know how to remain in silence to contemplate the birth of Jesus? And do I try to cherish in my heart this Advent, its message of goodness and salvation? And how can I reciprocate such a great gift with a gratuitous gesture of peace, forgiveness, reconciliation? Each one of us will find something to do, and this will do us good.

May Mary, the Holy Mother of God, teach us to keep the joy of the Gospel in our hearts and bear witness to it in the world.

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Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace

At the dawn of this New Year given to us by our heavenly Father, a year of Jubilee in the spirit of hope, I offer heartfelt good wishes of peace to every man and woman. I think especially of those who feel downtrodden, burdened by their past mistakes, oppressed by the judgment of others and incapable of perceiving even a glimmer of hope for their own lives. Upon everyone I invoke hope and peace, for this is a Year of Grace born of the Heart of the Redeemer!

01.01.25

At the beginning of this new year which the Lord has granted us, we do well to lift our eyes and hearts to Mary. For, like a Mother, she points us to her Son. She brings us back to Jesus; she speaks to us of Jesus; she leads us to Jesus. The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, immerses us once more in the mystery of Christmas. In Mary’s womb, God became one of us, and we, who have opened the Holy Door to inaugurate the Jubilee, are reminded today that “Mary is the door through which Christ entered this world” (SAINT AMBROSE, Ep. 42, 4: PL, VII).

The Apostle Paul sums up this mystery by telling us that “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman” (Gal 4:4). Those words – “born of a woman” – echo in our hearts today; they remind us that Jesus, our Saviour, became flesh and is revealed in the frailty of the flesh.

Born of a woman. Those words bring us back to Christmas, for the Word became flesh. The Apostle Paul, in saying that Christ was born of a woman, almost senses the need to remind us that God became truly man through a human womb. There is a temptation, which many people today find attractive, but can also mislead many Christians, to imagine or invent a God “in the abstract”, associated with some vague religious feeling or fleeting emotion. No. God is tangible, he is human, he was born of a woman; he has a face and a name, and calls us to have a relationship with him. Christ Jesus, our Saviour, born of woman, has flesh and blood. Coming from the bosom of the Father, he takes flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. From the highest heaven, he comes down to earth. Son of God, he becomes the Son of man. The image of the Almighty God, Christ came among us in weakness; though he was without blemish, “for our sake, God made him to be sin” (2 Cor 5:21). He was born of woman; he is one of us. For this reason, he is able to save us.

Born of a woman. Those words also speak to us of the humanity of Christ, to tell us that he is revealed in the frailty of flesh. Born of woman, he comes to us as a tiny infant. That is why the shepherds who went to see what the Angel had proclaimed find not extraordinary signs or great displays, but “Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger” (Lk 2:16). They found a tiny, helpless child in need of his mother’s care, clothing and milk, caresses and love. Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort tells us that divine Wisdom “while certainly able to, did not want to give himself directly to men, but chose to do so through the Blessed Virgin. Nor did he want to come into the world as a full-grown man, with no need of others, but as a small child, in need of a Mother’s care and nourishment” (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 139). In the life of Jesus, we see that this is how God chooses to act: through littleness and hiddenness. Jesus never yielded to the temptation of performing great signs and imposing himself on others, as the devil had suggested. Instead, he revealed God’s love in the beauty of his humanity, dwelling in our midst, sharing our daily life, our efforts and our dreams, being merciful to those suffering in body and spirit, giving sight to the blind and strength to the disheartened. The three attitudes of God are mercy, closeness and compassion. God comes near to us and is merciful and compassionate. Let us not forget this. By the frailty of his humanity and his concern for the weak and vulnerable, Jesus shows us the face of God.

Sisters and brothers, it is indeed good for us to reflect on how Mary, the young woman of Nazareth, constantly brings us back to the mystery of Jesus, her Son. She reminds us that Jesus came in the flesh, and that we encounter him above all in our daily life, in our own frail humanity and that of all those whom we encounter each day. In praying to Our Lady as the Mother of God, we proclaim that Christ was begotten of the Father, yet also truly born of a woman. We proclaim that he is the Lord of time, yet dwells in our time, indeed this new year, with his loving presence. We proclaim that he is the Saviour of the world, yet we are able to encounter him and are called to seek him in the face of every human being. If he, who is the Son, became so small as to be held in a mother’s arms, cared for and nursed, this means that today too he comes among us in all those who need similar care: in every sister and brother we meet, in everyone who needs our attention and tender care.

Let us entrust this new year to Mary, Mother of God. May we learn, like her, to discover God’s greatness in the little things of life. May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying. Today, on this World Day of Peace, all of us are invited to take up the summons that flows from the maternal heart of Mary: to cherish life, to care for wounded lives – there are so many wounded lives –, to restore dignity to the lives of everyone “born of woman”, for this is the basis for building a culture of peace. For this reason, “I ask for a firm commitment to respect for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future” (Message for the LVIII World Day of Peace, 1 January 2025).

Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, awaits us there, at the crib. She points out to us, as she did to the shepherds, the presence of the God who always surprises us, who does not come in the majesty of the heavens, but in the littleness of a manger. Let us entrust to her this new Jubilee Year. Let us entrust to her our questions, our worries, our sufferings, our joys and all the concerns that we bear in our hearts. She is our mom, our mother! Let us entrust to her the whole world, so that hope may be reborn and peace may finally spring up for all the peoples of the earth.

History tells us that in Ephesus, when the bishops entered the church, the faithful who were present, with clubs in their hands, cried out: “Mother of God!”. Surely the clubs were a promise of what would happen if the bishops did not declare the dogma of the “Mother of God”. Today we do not have clubs, but we have the hearts and voices of children. Therefore, all together, let us acclaim the Holy Mother of God. Let us say all together, emphatically: “Holy Mother of God!”, three times. Together: “Holy Mother of God! Holy Mother of God! Holy Mother of God”!

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Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Nazareth. The Gospel tells of when Jesus, at the age of twelve, at the end of the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem, went missing from Mary and Joseph, who found Him afterwards in the Temple conversing with the teachers (cf. Lk 2:41-52). The Evangelist Luke reveals the state of mind of Mary who asks Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (v. 48). And Jesus replies, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (v. 49).

It is an almost commonplace experience of a family that alternates between calm moments and dramatic ones. It appears to be the story of a family crisis, a crisis of our times, of a difficult teenager and two parents who are unable to understand him. Let us pause to look at this family. Do you know why the Family of Nazareth is a model? Because it is a family that converses, that listens, that talks. Dialogue is an important element for a family! A family that does not communicate cannot be a happy family.

It is good when a mother does not start with a rebuke, but with a question. Mary does not accuse and does not judge, but tries to understand how to accept this Son who is so different by listening. Despite this effort, the Gospel says that Mary and Joseph “did not understand what He said to them” (v. 50), showing that in the family it is more important to listen than to understand. Listening is giving importance to the other, recognizing his or her right to exist and think autonomously. Children need this. Think carefully, parents: listen to your children, who need this!

Mealtimes are a special moment for dialogue in the family. It is good to stay together around the table and to speak. This can solve many problems, and above all unite the generations: children who speak with their parents, grandchildren who speak with their grandparents… Never remain closed in on yourself or, even worse, with your head turned to your mobile phone. This will not do, never, never this. Talk, listen to each other, this is the dialogue that is good for you and that makes you grow!

The Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is holy. And yet we have seen that even Jesus’ parents did not always understand Him. We can reflect on this, and let us not be surprised if at times it happens that we do not understand each other. When it happens, let us ask ourselves: have we listened to each other? Do we confront problems by listening to each other or do we close up in silence, at times in resentment and pride? Do we take a little time to converse? What we can learn from the Holy Family today is mutual listening.

Let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary and ask for our families the gift of listening.

29.12.24

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Today, immediately after Christmas, the liturgy celebrates Saint Stephen, the first martyr. The account of his stoning is found in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 6:8-12; 7:54-60) and presents it to us while, dying, he prays for his killers. And this gives us pause for thought: in fact, even though at first sight Stephen seems to be helplessly suffering violence, in reality, as a truly free man, he continues to love even his killers and to offer his life for them, like Jesus (cf. Jn 10:17-18; Lk 23:34); he offers his life so that they may repent and, having been forgiven, be given eternal life.

In this way, the deacon Stephen appears to us as a witness of that God who has one great desire: that “that all men be saved” (1 Tim 2:4) – this is the desire of God’s heart – that no-one be lost (cf. Jn 6:39; 17:1-26). Stephen is a witness to the Father – our Father – who wants good and only good for each of His children, and always; the Father who excludes no one, the Father who never tires of seeking them out (cf. Lk 15:3-7) and of welcoming them back when, after having strayed, they return to Him in repentance (cf. Lk 15:11-32) and the Father who does not tire of forgiving. Remember this: God always forgives, and God forgives everything.

Let us return to Stephen. Unfortunately, even today there are, in various parts of the world, many men and women who are persecuted, at times up to death, because of the Gospel. What we have said about Stephen applies to them too. They do not allow themselves to be killed out of weakness, nor to defend an ideology, but to make everyone participants in the gift of salvation. And they do so first and foremost for the good of their killers: for the killers … and they pray for them.

A beautiful example of this is left to us by Blessed Christian de Chergé, who called his future killer a “last minute friend

Let us ask ourselves, then, each one of us: do I feel the desire for all to know God and for everyone to be saved? Do I also want the good of those who make me suffer? Do I take an interest in and pray for the many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith?

May Mary, Queen of Martyrs, help us to be courageous witnesses of the Gospel for the salvation of the world.

26.12.24

Dear sisters and brothers, happy Christmas!

The mystery that never ceases to amaze and move us was renewed this night: the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. That is how the shepherds of Bethlehem, filled with joy, found him, as the angels sang: “Glory to God and peace to men” (cf. Lk 2:6-14). Peace to men and women.

This event, which took place over two thousand years ago, is indeed made new thanks to the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit of Love and Life who made fruitful the womb of Mary and from her human flesh formed Jesus. Today, amid the travail of our times, the eternal Word of salvation is once more truly made incarnate, and speaks to every man and woman, to the whole world. This is the message: “I love you, I forgive you; come back to me, the door of my heart is open for you!”

Brothers and sisters, the door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to him! Let us go back to the heart that loves and forgives us! Let us be forgiven by him; let us be reconciled with him! God always forgives! God forgives everything. Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by him.

This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the Jubilee, which I opened last night here in Saint Peter’s Basilica: it represents Jesus, the Door of salvation open for all. Jesus is the Door; the Door that the Father of mercies has opened in the midst of our world, in the midst of history, so that all of us can return to him. We are all like lost sheep; we need a Shepherd and a Door to return to the house of the Father. Jesus is that Shepherd; Jesus is the Door.

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid! The Door is open, the door is wide open! There is no need to knock on the door. It is open. Come! Let us be reconciled with God, and then we will be reconciled with ourselves and able to be reconciled with one another, even our enemies. God’s mercy can do all things. It unties every knot; it tears down every wall of division; God’s mercy dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge. Come! Jesus is the Door of Peace.

Often we halt at the threshold of that Door; we lack the courage to cross it, because it challenges us to examine our lives. Entering through that Door calls for the sacrifice involved in taking a step forward, a small sacrifice. Taking a step towards something so great calls us to leave behind our disputes and divisions, and surrendering ourselves to the outstretched arms of the Child who is the Prince of Peace. This Christmas, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite every individual, and all peoples and nations, to find the courage needed to walk through that Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions!

May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine! May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

May the sound of arms be silenced in the Middle East! In contemplating the Crib of Bethlehem, I think of the Christian communities in Palestine and in Israel, particularly the dear community in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war. I express my closeness to the Christian community in Lebanon, especially in the south, and to that of Syria, at this most delicate time. May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region, devastated by conflict. Here I also think of the Libyan people and encourage them to seek solutions that enable national reconciliation.

May the birth of the Saviour bring a new season of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from an outbreak of measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the people of the East of that country, and of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mozambique. The humanitarian crisis that affects them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism, aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change, resulting in the loss of life and the displacement of millions of people. My thoughts also turn to the peoples of the nations of the Horn of Africa, for whom I implore the gifts of peace, concord and fraternity. May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire.

May the proclamation of Christmas bring comfort to the people of Myanmar, who, due to the ongoing clash of arms, suffer greatly and are forced to flee their homes.

May the Infant Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find as soon as possible effective solutions, in justice and truth, to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua. May they work, particularly during this Jubilee Year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person, surmounting political divisions.

May the Jubilee be an opportunity to tear down all walls of separation: the ideological walls that so often mark political life, and also physical walls, such as the division that has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years now and has rent its human and social fabric. It is my hope that a mutually agreed solution will be found, a solution that can put an end to the division in full respect for the rights and dignity of all the Cypriot communities.

Jesus, the eternal Word of God made incarnate, is the wide-open Door; he is the wide-open Door that we are invited to enter, in order to rediscover the meaning of our existence and the sacredness of all life – for every life is sacred – and to recover the foundational values of the human family. He awaits us at the threshold. He awaits each one of us, especially the most vulnerable. He awaits the children, all those children who suffer from war and hunger. He awaits the elderly, so often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment. He awaits those who have lost their homes or are fleeing their homelands in an effort to find a safe haven. He awaits all those who have lost their jobs or are unable to find work. He awaits prisoners who, everything notwithstanding, are still children of God, always children of God. He awaits all those – and there are many of them – who endure persecution for their faith.

On this festive day, let us not fail to express our gratitude to those who spend themselves, quietly and faithfully, in doing good and in serving others. I think of parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of forming future generations. I think too of healthcare workers, the forces of order and all those men and women who carry out works of charity, especially missionaries throughout the world: they bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty. To all of them we want to say: Thank you!

Brothers and sisters, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to forgive debts, especially those that burden the poorest countries. Each of us is called to forgive those who have trespassed against us, because the Son of God, born in the cold and darkness of the night, has forgiven our own. He came to heal us and forgive us. As pilgrims of hope, let us go out to meet him! Let us open to him the doors of our hearts. Let us open to him the doors of our hearts, as he has opened to us the door of his heart.

I wish everyone a serene and blessed Christmas.

25.12.24 uo

An angel of the Lord, bathed in light, illumines the night and brings glad tidings to the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11). Heaven breaks forth upon earth amid the wonder of the poor and the singing of angels. God has become one of us to make us like himself; he has come down to us to lift us up and restore us to the embrace of the Father.

Sisters and brothers, this is our hope. God is Emmanuel, God-with-us. The infinitely great has made himself tiny; divine light has shone amid the darkness of our world; the glory of heaven has appeared on earth. And how? As a little child. If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever. Hope does not disappoint!

Brothers and sisters, with the opening of the Holy Door we have inaugurated a new Jubilee, and each of us can enter into the mystery of this extraordinary event. Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world. Tonight, God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you! There is hope for each of us. And do not forget, sisters and brothers, that God forgives everything, God always forgives. Do not forget this, which is a way of understanding hope in the Lord.

To receive this gift, we are called to set out with the marvel of the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. The Gospel tells us that, having heard the message of the angel, they “went with haste” (Lk 2:16). In this same way, “with haste”, we too are called to recover lost hope, to renew that hope in our hearts, and to sow seeds of hope amid the bleakness of our time and our world. And there is so much desolation at this time. We think of wars, of children being shot at, bombs on schools and hospitals. Do not delay, do not hesitate, but allow yourselves to be drawn along by the Good News.

With haste, then, let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us, our hearts joyful and attentive, ready to meet him and then to bring hope to the way we live our daily lives. And this is our task: to bring hope into the different situations of life. For Christian hope is not a cinematic “happy ending” which we passively await, but rather, a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighs. It is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness. Hope calls us – as Saint Augustine would say – to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them. Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth, dreamers who never tire, women and men open to being challenged by God’s dream, which is of a new world where peace and justice reign.

Let us learn a lesson from the shepherds. The hope born this night does not tolerate the indifference of the complacent or the lethargy of those content with their own comforts – and so many of us are in danger of becoming too comfortable; hope does not accept the faux prudence of those who refuse to get involved for fear of making mistakes, or of those who think only of themselves. Hope is incompatible with the detachment of those who refuse to speak out against evil and the injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor.  Christian hope, on the other hand, while inviting us to wait patiently for the Kingdom to grow and spread, also requires of us, even now, to be bold, responsible, and not only that but also compassionate, in our anticipation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise. And here perhaps it will do us good to ask ourselves about compassion: do I have compassion? Am I able to suffer-with?  Let us reflect on this.

On reflecting on how often we accommodate ourselves to the world and conform to its way of thinking, a fine priest and writer prayed for a Blessed Christmas in these words: “Lord, I ask you for a little annoyance, a touch of restlessness, a twinge of regret. At Christmas, I would like to find myself dissatisfied.  Happy, but not satisfied. Happy because of what you do, dissatisfied by my lack of response. Please, take away our complacency and hide a few thorns beneath the hay of our all-too-full ‘manger’. Fill us with the desire for something greater” (a. pronzato, La novena di Natale). The desire for something greater. Do not stand still. Let us not forget that still water is the first to become stagnant.

Christian hope is precisely this “something greater”, which should spur us to set out “with haste”. As disciples of the Lord, we are called to find our greater hope in him, and then, without delay, carry that hope with us, as pilgrims of light amid the darkness of this world.

Sisters and brothers, this is the Jubilee. This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord. The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may truly become a time of jubilation. A jubilee for our mother Earth, disfigured by profiteering; a time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new.

All of us have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost, lives broken, promises unkept, dreams shattered and hearts overwhelmed by adversity. We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted. To bring hope to the interminable, dreary days of prisoners, to the cold and dismal lodgings of the poor, and to all those places desecrated by war and violence. To bring hope there, to sow hope there.

The Jubilee has now opened so that all people may receive hope, the hope of the Gospel, the hope of love and hope of forgiveness.

As we contemplate the manger, as we gaze upon it and see God’s tender love in the face of the Child Jesus, let us ask ourselves: “Are our hearts full of expectation? Does this hope find a place there? ... As we contemplate the loving kindness of God who overcomes our doubts and fears, let us also contemplate the grandeur of the hope that awaits us. ... May this vision of hope illumine our path each day” (c. m. martini, Christmas Homily, 1980).

Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the “holy door” of God’s heart lies open before you. Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for me, for us, for every man and woman. And remember that with him, joy flourishes; with him, life changes; with him, hope does not disappoint.

24.12.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am sorry not to be with you in the Square, but I am getting better and precautions must be taken.

Today the Gospel presents us with Mary who, after the annunciation of the Angel, visits Elizabeth, her elderly relative (cf. Lk 1:39-45), who is also expecting a child. Theirs is thus the meeting of two women rejoicing at the extraordinary gift of motherhood: Mary has just conceived Jesus, the Saviour of the world (cf. Lk 1:31-35), and Elizabeth, despite her advanced age, is carrying John, who will prepare the way before the Messiah (cf. Lk 1:13-17), John the Baptist.

They both have much to rejoice about, and perhaps we might feel they are far away, the protagonists of such great miracles that do not normally figure in our experience. The message the Evangelist wants to give us, a few days before Christmas, is this, it is different. Indeed, contemplating the miraculous signs of God’s salvific action must never make us feel far from Him, but rather help us to recognize His presence and His love close to you, for example in the gift of every life, of every child, of his or her mother. The gift of life. I read, on the programme “A tua immagine”, a beautiful thing that was written: no child is a mistake! The gift of life.

In the Square, even today, there will be mothers with their children, and perhaps they are some who are expecting. Please, let us not remain indifferent to their presence: let us learn to marvel at their beauty, as Elizabeth and Mary did, that beauty of expectant mothers. Let us bless mothers and give praise to God for the miracle of life! I like – I used to like, because now I cannot do it – when I used to take the bus, in the other diocese, when an expectant mother got on the bus, I would immediately offer her my seat: it is a gesture of hope and respect!

Brothers and sisters, in these days we like to create a festive atmosphere with lights, decorations and Christmas music. Let us remember, though, to express feelings of joy every time we encounter a mother who is carrying a child in her arms or in her womb. And when it happens to us, let us pray in our heart and let us say too, like Elizabeth, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42); let us sing, like Mary, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Lk 1:46), so that every motherhood may be blessed, and in every mother in the world may the name of God be thanked and exalted, who entrusts men and women with the power to give life to children!

We will soon bless the “Bambinelli” you have brought. I have brought mine: this one was given to me by the Archbishop of Santa Fé; it was made by native Ecuadorian people… the Bambinelli you have brought. We can ask ourselves, then, do I thank the Lord because He made Himself a man like us, to share in all of our existence, apart from sin? Do I praise the Lord and bless Him for every child who is born? When I encounter an expectant mother, am I kind to her? Do I support and defend the sacred value of the life of the little ones ever since their conception in the maternal womb?

May Mary, Blessed among women, make us capable of experiencing wonder and gratitude before the mystery of nascent life.

22.12.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today we will begin the cycle of catechesis that will continue throughout the Jubilee Year. The theme is “Jesus Christ our Hope”: for He is the aim of our pilgrimage, and He Himself is the way, the path to follow.

The first part will look at the childhood of Jesus, which is narrated to us by the Evangelists Matthew and Luke (cf. Mt 1-2; Lk 1-2). The Infancy Gospels recount Jesus’ virginal conception and His birth from Mary's womb; they recall the messianic prophecies fulfilled in Him and speak of the legal paternity of Joseph, who grafted the Son of God onto the “trunk” of the Davidic dynasty. We are presented with an infant, child and adolescent Jesus, submissive to his parents and, at the same time, aware that He is wholly devoted to the Father and His Kingdom. The difference between the two Evangelists is that while Luke recounts the events through Mary’s eyes, Matthew does so through Joseph's, insisting on this unprecedented fatherhood.

Matthew begins His Gospel and the entire New Testament canon with the ‘genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham’ (Mt 1:1).

It is a list of names already present in the Hebrew Scriptures, to show the truth of history and the truth of human life. In fact, “the Lord’s genealogy consists of the true story that includes a number of figures who are problematic to say the least, and the sin of King David is also emphasized (cf. Mt 1:6). Yet, everything culminates with Mary and Christ (cf. Mt 1:16)” (Letter on the Renewal of the Study of Church History, 21 November 2024). Then, there appears the truth of human life that passes from one generation to the next, bringing three things: a name that encompasses a unique identity and mission; belonging to a family and a people; and finally, the adherence of faith to the God of Israel.

Genealogy is a literary genre, that is, a form suitable for conveying a very important message: no one gives life to himself, but receives it as a gift from others. In this case, the chosen people, and those who inherit the legacy of faith from their forefathers, in passing on life to their children, also convey to them the faith in God.

Unlike the genealogies of the Old Testament, however, where only male names appear – because in Israel it is the father who imposes the name on his son – in Matthew's list of Jesus’ ancestors, women also appear. We find five of them: Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah who, left a widow, pretends to be a prostitute in order to ensure an offspring for her husband (cf. Gen 38); Racab, the prostitute of Jericho who allows the Jewish explorers to enter the promised land and conquer it (cf. Jas 2); Ruth, the Moabite who, in the book of the same name, remains faithful to her mother-in-law, takes care of her and will become King David's great-grandmother; Bathsheba, with whom David commits adultery and, after having her husband killed, begets Solomon (cf. 2 Sam 11); and finally Mary of Nazareth, wife of Joseph, of the house of David: from her the Messiah, Jesus, is born.

The first four women have in common not the fact that they are sinners, as is sometimes said, but the fact that they are foreign to the people of Israel. What Matthew brings out is that, as Benedict XVI has written, “through them the world of the Gentiles enters ... into Jesus’ genealogy - his mission to Jews and Gentiles becomes visible” (The Infancy Narratives, Milan-Vatican City 2012, 15).

While the four previous women are mentioned alongside the man who was born of them or the one who begot him, Mary, on the other hand, acquires particular prominence: she marks a new beginning. She herself is a new beginning, because in her story it is no longer the human creature who is the protagonist of generation, but God Himself. This is clearly seen from the verb “was born”: “Jacob [was] the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born” (Mt 1:16). Jesus is the son of David, grafted by Joseph into that dynasty and destined to be the Messiah of Israel, but He is also the son of Abraham and of foreign women, destined therefore to be the “Light of the Gentiles” (cf. Lk 2:32) and the “Saviour of the world” (Jn 4:42).

The Son of God, consecrated to the Father with the mission of revealing His face (cf. Jn 1:18; Jn 14:9), enters the world like all children of man, so much so that in Nazareth He will be called “son of Joseph” (Jn 6:42) or “son of the carpenter” (Mt 13:55). True God and true man.

Brothers and sisters, let us awaken in ourselves the grateful memory of our ancestors. And above all, let us give thanks to God, who, through Mother Church, has generated us to eternal life, the life of Jesus, our hope.

18.12.24

The crowds ask John the Baptist, “What then should we do?” (Lk 3:10). What should we do? We should listen carefully to this question, for it expresses a desire for spiritual renewal and a better life. John proclaims the coming of the long-awaited Messiah, and those who listen to his preaching want to be prepared for this encounter: the encounter with the Messiah, the encounter with Jesus.

Luke’s Gospel tells us that those who express the desire for conversion are the “outsiders”. It is not those who were generally considered closest, the Pharisees and doctors of the law, but those who were farthest away, the tax collectors, who were thought to be sinners, and the soldiers who ask, “Teacher, what should we do?” (Lk 3:12).  This is a beautiful question that perhaps each of us could take to prayer before going to bed tonight: “Lord, what should I do to prepare my heart for Christmas?”. Those who consider themselves righteous are not renewed. Those regarded as public sinners, on the other hand, long to leave behind their former lives of dishonesty and violence, and to embark upon a new life. Those who are distant become close whenever Christ approaches. John responds to those tax collectors and soldiers by urging them to be fair, upright and honest (cf. Lk 3:13-14). The proclamation of the Lord’s coming stirs consciences. It appeals especially to the poor and the outcast, because he comes not to condemn but to save those who are lost (cf. Lk 15:4-32). The best way to open our hearts to the salvation brought by Jesus is to be honest: “Lord, I am a sinner”. All of us here today are sinners. All of us. “Lord, I am a sinner”. And so, we approach Jesus in truth, not with the glamour of a false righteousness. Indeed, he comes precisely to save sinners.

This is why today we too can ask the same question that the crowds asked John the Baptist. In this season of Advent, let us find the courage to ask without fear, “What then should I do?”, “What then should we do?” in order to prepare a humble heart, a trusting heart for the Lord’s coming.

The Scriptures we have heard present us with two different ways of waiting for the Messiah: we can wait either with suspicion or with joyful expectation. We can await salvation with these two attitudes: either with suspicion or with joyful expectation.  Let us reflect on these spiritual attitudes.

The first attitude, that of suspicion, is full of distrust and anxiety. When we think constantly of ourselves and our own needs, we lose the spirit of joy. Instead of awaiting the future with hope, we view it with diffidence. Caught up in worldly concerns, we are not open to the workings of God’s providence. We do not know how to wait with the hope that the Holy Spirit brings us. The words of Saint Paul can serve as an antidote to rouse us from our lethargy: “Do not worry about anything” (Phil 4:6). When anguish overwhelms us, it destroys us. Pain, both physical pain and the hurt produced by family tragedies, is one thing, but anguish is quite different. As Christians, we must not be overwhelmed by anguish. Stop being distressed, disappointed or sad. How widespread are these spiritual ills nowadays, especially in places where consumerism reigns! I have seen so many people on the streets of Rome these days that are out shopping, doing their shopping, overwhelmed by the anxiety of consumerism that then disappears and leaves you empty. Societies that live on consumerism grow old; they remain unsatisfied, since they no longer know how to give.  If we live only for ourselves, we will never find happiness. If we live like this (like a closed fist) and not like this (an open hand) we will not be happy. I think that if we live with our hands like this (closed), instead of using our hands to give, to help and to share, we will never be happy. This is an evil that all of us can fall into, all Christians, even priests, Bishops and Cardinals, all of us, even the Pope.

The Apostle proposes an effective remedy when he writes, “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). Faith in God gives hope! The Congress that has just taken place here in Ajaccio stressed the importance of cultivating faith and appreciating the importance of popular piety. Let us take as an example the recitation of the Rosary. When we take up the Rosary and pray it well, it trains us to keep our hearts centred on Jesus Christ by sharing in the contemplative gaze of Mary. We can also think of the traditional Confraternities, which have much to teach us about generously serving our neighbours by works of spiritual and corporal mercy. These associations of the faithful, so rich in history, actively participate in the liturgy and the Church’s prayer, which they enrich with popular songs and devotions. I encourage the members of the Confraternities to become ever more present, especially to those in greatest need, and in this way to practice their faith through acts of charity. Those Confraternities who have a specific devotion are present to everyone, present to their neighbours in order to help them.

This brings us to the second attitude: joyful expectation. The first attitude was waiting with suspicion. For me this means waiting with your hands closed. The second attitude is joyful expectation. It is not easy to be joyful. Christian joy is neither shallow nor ephemeral, like the joy that comes from going to the fair. No, it is not like that. On the contrary, it is a joy rooted in the heart and built on a solid foundation. In this sense, the prophet Zephaniah could tell his listeners to rejoice, for “the Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory” (Zeph 3:17).  Trust in the Lord who is in our midst, who dwells among us. We forget this so often: he is in our midst when we do a good deed, when we educate our children, when we care for the elderly. He is not in our midst, however, when we gossip or when we speak ill of others. The Lord is not present there, only we are. The Lord’s coming brings us salvation: that is the reason for our joy. God is “mighty”, Scripture tells us. He can redeem our lives because he is able to accomplish what he promises!  Our joy is not a fleeting consolation that helps us to forget life’s sorrows. No, it is not a fleeting consolation. Our joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, born of faith in Christ the Saviour, who knocks at the door of our hearts and frees us from sorrow and lethargy. The Lord’s presence in our midst is a cause for celebration; it fills everyone’s future with hope. In the company of Jesus, we discover the authentic joy of living and we become signs of the hope that our world so eagerly seeks.

And the first of those signs of hope is peace. He who comes is Emmanuel, God with us, who bestows peace on those favoured by the Lord (cf. Lk 2:14). And as we prepare to welcome Jesus during this season of Advent, may our communities grow in their ability to accompany everyone, especially the young people preparing for Baptism and the other sacraments. And in a special way, the elderly as well. The elderly are the wisdom of a people. Let us never forget that! And each of us can ask ourselves: how do I react to the elderly? Do I try to care for them? Do I spend time with them? Do I listen to them? “Oh no, their stories are so boring!”. Do I abandon them? How many children abandon their parents in retirement homes! I remember once how, in another diocese, I went to visit a nursing home. And there was a lady there who had three or four children. I asked her: “And how are your children?” – “They are doing very well! I have many grandchildren” – “And do they come to see you?” – “Yes, they always come”. When I left the room, the nurse said: “They come once a year”. But the mother covered up her children’s shortcomings. So many people abandon the elderly. They wish them a Happy Christmas or Easter over the phone! Take care of the elderly; they are the wisdom of a people.

Let us consider the young people who are preparing for Baptism and the other sacraments. In Corsica, thank God, they are many! And congratulations! I have never seen so many children as I have here! It is a gift from God! And I have only seen two little dogs. Dear brothers and sisters, have children! Have children! They will be your joy, your consolation in the future. I am telling the truth: I have never seen so many children. I only saw this many in Timor-Leste, but nowhere else.  This is your joy and your glory.

The word of God never fails to encourage us. Despite sufferings that affect nations and peoples, the Church proclaims an unshakable hope that does not disappoint, because the Lord has come and dwells in our midst. And in his coming, our efforts to work for peace and justice find inexhaustible strength.

Sisters and brothers, in every time and amid every affliction, Christ remains present; Christ is the source of our joy. He is with us in every tribulation to carry us through and give us joy. Let us always foster this joy in our hearts, this assurance that Christ is with us, walking with us. Let us not forget this! And so, with this joy, with the security that Jesus is with us, we will be happy and make others happy. This must be our witness.

15.12.24 m

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am here in this beautiful land of yours only for a day, but I wanted to meet you and spend at least a brief moment together. This gives me a chance, first of all, to say thank you. Thank you for being here, with the gift of your lives. Thank you for your work and your daily efforts. Thank you because you are a sign of God’s merciful love and witnesses to the Gospel. 

15.12.24 a

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

I am pleased to meet you here in Ajaccio at the conclusion of this Congress on popular piety in the Mediterranean, which has brought together a number of scholars and bishops from France and other countries.

The lands bathed by the Mediterranean Sea have a long history and have been the cradle of many highly developed civilizations. The Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian civilizations come to mind as examples testifying to the cultural, religious and historical significance of this immense “lake” in the middle of three continents, this unique sea that is the Mediterranean.

15.12.24 c

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

We have arrived at the end of our catecheses on the Holy Spirit and the Church. We will devote this final reflection to the title we gave to the entire cycle, namely: “The Holy Spirit and the Bride. The Holy Spirit guides the People of God towards Jesus our hope”. This title refers to one of the last verses of the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, which says: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’” (Rev 22:17). Who is this invocation addressed to? It is addressed to the risen Christ. Indeed, both Saint Paul (cf. 1 Cor 16:22) and the Didaché, a text from apostolic times, attest that in the liturgical meetings of the first Christians there resounded the cry in Aramaic, “Maràna tha!”, which indeed means “Come, Lord!”. A prayer to Christ, for Him to come.

At that earliest time, the invocation had a background we would describe today as eschatological. Indeed, it expressed the ardent expectation of the glorious return of the Lord. And this cry, and the expectation it expresses, have never been extinguished in the Church. Still today, in the Mass, immediately after the consecration, she proclaims Christ’s death and resurrection “as we await the blessed hope and [His] coming”. The Church awaits the coming of the Lord.

But this expectation of the final coming of Christ has not remained the one and only. It has also been joined by the expectation of his continuous coming in the present and pilgrim situation of the Church. And it is this coming that the Church thinks of above all, when, animated by the Holy Spirit, she cries out to Jesus: “Come!”.

A change, or better, let’s say, a development, full of meaning, has occurred with regard to the cry “Come”, “Come, Lord!”. It is not habitually addressed only to Christ, but also to the Holy Spirit Himself! He who cries out is now Him to whom we cry out. “Come!” is the invocation with which we begin almost all the hymns and prayers of the Church addressed to the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit”, we say in the Veni Creator, and “Come, Holy Spirit”, “Veni Sancte Spiritus”, in the sequence of Pentecost; and so on, in many other prayers. It is right that it should be so, because, after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit is Christ’s true “alter ego”, He who takes His place, who makes Him present and operative in the Church. It is He who “declare[s] … the things that are coming” (cf. Jn 16:13) and makes them desired and expected. This is why Christ and the Spirit are inseparable, also in the economy of salvation.

The Holy Spirit is the ever-gushing source of Christian hope. Saint Paul left us these precious words, this is what Paul says: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rm 15:13). If the Church is a boat, the Holy Spirit is the sail that propels it and lets it advance on the sea of history, today as in the past!

Hope is not an empty word, or a vague desire of ours that things may turn out for the best; hope is a certainty, because it is founded on God’s fidelity to His promises. And this is why it is called a theological virtue: because it is infused by God and has God as its guarantor. It is not a passive virtue, which merely waits for things to happen. It is a supremely active virtue that helps make them happen. Someone who fought for the liberation of the poor wrote these words: “The Holy Spirit is at the origin of the cry of the poor. He is the strength given to those who have no strength. He leads the struggle for the emancipation and full realization of the people of the oppressed”.

The Christian cannot be satisfied with having hope; he or she must also radiate hope, be a sower of hope. It is the most beautiful gift that the Church can give to all of humanity, especially at times in which everything seems to be dragging down the sails.

The apostle Peter exhorted the first Christians with these words: “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope”. But he added a recommendation: “But do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pt 3:15-16). And this is because it is not so much the strength of the arguments that will convince people, but rather the love that we know how to put in them. This is the first and most effective form of evangelization. And it is open to everyone!

Dear brothers and sisters, may the Spirit always, always help us to “abound in hope by virtue of the Holy Spirit! Thank you.

11.12.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Today, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Gospel tells us about one of the most important, most beautiful moments in the history of humanity: the Annunciation (cf. Lk 26-38), when Mary’s “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel permitted the Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus. It is a scene that inspires the greatest wonder and emotion because God, the Most High, the Omnipotent, by means of the Angel converses with a young girl from Nazareth, asking for her collaboration for His plan of salvation. If today you find a little time, look in the Gospel of Saint Luke and read this scene. I assure you that it will do you good, a lot of good!

As in the scene of the creation of Adam, painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, where the finger of the heavenly Father touches the finger of the man; thus here too the human and the divine encounter each other, at the beginning of our Redemption, they meet with a wonderful delicacy, in the blessed instant in which the Virgin Mary utters her “yes”. She is a woman in a small peripheral village and is called for ever to the centre of history: on her answer depends the fate of humanity, which can smile and hope again, because its destiny has been placed in good hands. She will be the one to bear the Saviour, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Mary, then, as the Archangel Gabriel greets her, is “full of grace” (Lk 1:28), the Immaculate, entirely at the service of the Word of God, always with the Lord, to whom she entrusts herself completely. In her, there is nothing that resists His will, nothing that opposes truth and charity. Here is her blessedness, which all generations will sing. Let us also rejoice because the Immaculate has given us Jesus, who is our salvation!

Brothers and sisters, contemplating this mystery we can ask ourselves: in our time, ravaged by wars and bent on the effort to possess and dominate, where do I place my hope? In strength, in money, in powerful friends? Do I place my hope there? Or in God's infinite mercy? And in the face of the shiny false models circulating in the media and on the internet, where do I look for my happiness? Where is the treasure of my heart? Is it in the fact that God loves me freely, that His love always goes before me, and is ready to forgive me when I return repentant to Him? In that filial hope in God’s love? Or am I deluding myself in trying to assert my ego and my will at all costs?

Brothers and sisters, as the opening of the Holy Door of the Jubilee approaches, let us open the doors of the heart and the mind to the Lord. He is born of Mary Immaculate: let us implore the intercession of Mary. And I will give you a piece of advice. Today it is a good day to decide to make a good Confession. If you cannot go today, this week, until next Sunday, open your heart and the Lord will forgive everything, everything, everything. And so, in Mary’s hands, we will be happier.

08.12.24 a

“Hail, full of grace” (Lk 1:28). With these words of greeting in the lowly house of Nazareth, the Angel revealed to Mary the mystery of her immaculate heart, “preserved free from all stain of original sin” from the moment of her conception (BL. PIUS IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854). In a variety of ways, down the centuries, Christians have sought to describe that gift in words and images, emphasizing the tenderness and grace of Our Lady, “blessed among all women” (cf. Lk 1:42) by portraying her with the native features and characteristics of any number of different peoples and cultures.

As Saint Paul VI observed, the Mother of God shows us “what all of us have deep in our hearts: the authentic image of humanity... innocent and holy... Mary’s being is pure harmony, candour, simplicity; it is complete transparency, kindness, perfection; it is utter beauty” (Homily on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 1963). Mary is pure harmony, candour and simplicity.

Let us pause for a moment to contemplate Mary’s beauty in the light of the Word of God, focusing on three aspects of her life that remind us of her closeness to us. What are these three aspects? Mary as daughter, bride and mother.

First, let us consider the Immaculate Virgin as daughter. Sacred Scripture does not speak of Mary’s childhood. The Gospel presents her to us as she enters upon the stage of history: a young girl of deep faith, humble and simple. Mary is the “virgin” (cf. Lk 1:27) whose gaze reflects the Father’s love. Within Mary’s pure heart, her gratuitous love and thankfulness give colour and fragrance to her holiness. Our Lady appears before us as a beautiful flower that grew unnoticed until it finally blossomed in the gift of self. Mary’s life is a continuous gift of self-giving.

This brings us to the second dimension of Mary’s beauty: that of a bride, chosen by God as a companion for his plan of salvation (cf. Lumen Gentium, 61). This is what the Council said: God chose Mary. He chose a woman as his helper to carry out the plan of salvation. There is no salvation without a woman since the Church herself is also woman. She responded “Yes” by saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38). She is a “handmaid” not in the sense of being “servile” and “humiliated”, but in the sense that she was “trusted” and “esteemed” as one to whom the Lord entrusted his dearest treasures and the most important missions. Mary’s beauty, multifaceted like that of a diamond, reveals a new face: one of fidelity, loyalty and loving concern, all of which are typical of the mutual love of spouses. Saint John Paul II understood just this when he wrote that the Immaculate Virgin “accepted her election as Mother of the Son of God, guided by spousal love, the love which totally ‘consecrates’ a human being to God” (Redemptoris Mater, 39).

We now come to the third dimension of Mary’s beauty. What is this third dimension? Mary as mother. She is most often depicted as a mother with the Child Jesus in her arms or bending over the Son of God as he lay in the manger (cf. Lk 2:7). She was present beside her Son throughout his life, ever close in her maternal care yet hidden in her humility. We witness this closeness at Cana, where she interceded for the bride and groom (cf. Jn 2:3-5), at Capernaum, where she was praised for listening to the Word of God (cf. Lk 11:27-28) and finally at the foot of the cross – the mother of a condemned man –, where Jesus himself gave her to us as our mother (cf. Jn 19:25-27). There, at the foot of the cross, the Immaculate Virgin is beautiful in her fruitfulness, since she recognizes that she must die to herself in order to give life, forget herself in order to care for the poor and vulnerable who turn to her.

All these things are contained in Mary’s pure Heart, a heart that is free from sin, docile to the working of the Holy Spirit (cf. Redemptoris Mater, 13) and ready to offer to God, out of love, “the full submission of intellect and will” (Dei Verbum, 5; cf. Dei Filius, 3).

There is the risk, however, of thinking that Mary’s beauty is somehow remote, out of reach, unattainable. That is not the case. We too have received this beauty as a gift in Baptism, when we were freed from sin and became sons and daughters of God. Like the Virgin Mary, we are called to cultivate this beauty with a filial, spousal and maternal love. Like her, may we be grateful for what we have received and generous in what we give back. May we be men and women who are ready to say “Thank you” and “Yes”, not just with our words, but above all by our actions –it is a beautiful thing to find men and women who say “Thank you” and “Yes” through their actions – ever ready to make room for the Lord in our plans and aspirations, eager to embrace with maternal tenderness the brothers and sisters we encounter on our way. The Immaculate Virgin is not a myth, an abstract doctrine or an impossible ideal. She is the model of a beautiful and concrete project, the perfect example of our humanity. As we imitate her, may all of us, by God’s grace, help to change our world for the better.

Sadly, if we look around us, we realize that the presumption that we can be “like God” (cf. Gen 3:1-6), which led to the first sin, continues to wound our human family. Neither love nor happiness can arise from this presumption of self-sufficiency. Those who see the rejection of any stable and lasting bond in life as progress do not grant freedom. Those who deprive fathers and mothers of respect, those who do not want children, those who reduce others to mere objects or treat them as nuisances, those who consider sharing with others a waste, and solidarity an impoverishment, cannot spread joy or build a future. What is the use of having a full bank account, a comfortable home, unreal virtual relationships, if our hearts remain cold, empty and closed?   What is the use of achieving great financial growth in privileged countries if half the world is starving or ravaged by war, and the others look on with indifference? What is the use of travelling around the world if every encounter is reduced to a passing impression or a photograph that no one will remember in a few days or months?

Brothers and sisters, let us look to Mary Immaculate and ask her to conquer us through her loving Heart. May she convert us and make us a community in which filial, spousal and maternal love may be a rule and criterion of life. Only then will families be united, will spouses truly share everything, will parents be physically present and close to their children and children will take care of their parents. That is the beauty we see in the Immaculate Virgin; that is the “beauty that saves the world”. Like Mary, we too want to respond by saying to the Lord: “Behold... Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

We are celebrating this Eucharist with the new Cardinals. I have asked them, my brothers, to help me in my pastoral service to the Universal Church. They have come from many parts of the world, bringing great wisdom, in order to contribute to the growth and spread of the Kingdom of God. Let us now entrust them in a special way to the intercession of the Mother of our Saviour.

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Let us reflect a bit on the Gospel account: Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. Yet his is not an ascent to worldly glory but to the glory of God, which entails his descent into the abyss of death.  In the Holy City, he will die on the cross to restore us to life. James and John, on the other hand, imagine a different destiny for their Master, and so they ask him for two places of honour: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mk 10:37).

The Gospel highlights this dramatic contrast: Jesus is taking a difficult uphill path that will lead him to Calvary, while the disciples are thinking of the smooth downhill path of the triumphant Messiah. We should not be scandalized by this, but note with humility that – to say together with Manzoni – “such is the inconsistency of the human heart” (The Betrothed, Ch. 10). This is how it is done.

The same thing can happen with us: our hearts can go astray, allowing us to be dazzled by the allure of prestige, the seduction of power, by an overly human zeal for the Lord.  That is why we need to look within, to stand before God in humility and before ourselves in sincerity, and ask: Where is my heart going?  Where is my heart going today?  Where is it directed? Have I perhaps taken the wrong road?  As Saint Augustine warns us: “Why follow empty paths that only lead you astray?  Return to the Lord.  He is waiting.  Yet first, return to your own heart, for there is found God’s image. Christ dwells in the inner man, and in the inner man you are renewed in the image of God” (Commentary on the Gospel of John, XVIII, 10).

To return to same path as Jesus, then, we need to return to the heart.  Today, in a particular way, I would like to say to you, dear brothers who are being made Cardinals: Make every effort to walk in the path of Jesus. What does this mean?

To walk in the path of Jesus means above all to return to him and to put him back at the centre of everything. At times, in our spiritual lives and our pastoral activity, we risk focusing on what is incidental and forgetting what is essential. Too often, secondary things replace what is necessary, external appearances overshadow what truly counts. We dive into activities that we consider urgent, without getting to the heart of the matter.  Instead, we should constantly be returning to the centre, to what is basic, and divest ourselves of all that is superfluous, in order to clothe ourselves in Christ. (cf. Rom 13:14).  The very word “Cardinal” reminds us of this, as it refers to the hinge inserted in order to secure, support and reinforce a door. Dear brothers: Jesus is our true support, the “centre of gravity” of our service, the “cardinal point” which gives direction to our entire life.  

To walk in the path of Jesus also means to cultivate a passion for encounter.  Jesus never walked alone; his relationship with the Father did not isolate him from the situations and sufferings that he encountered in this world.  On the contrary, he came precisely to heal our wounded humanity, to lighten the burdens of our hearts, to cleanse the stain of sin and to shatter the bonds of enslavement.  On his path the Lord encountered the faces of those who were suffering and those who had lost hope; he raised up the fallen and healed the sick.  The path that Jesus followed was full of different faces and stories.  As he passed, he dried the tears of those who mourned, “healed the brokenhearted, and bound up their wounds” (cf. Ps 147:3).

Adventures on the way, the joy of meeting others, care for those most in need: these things should inspire your service as Cardinals.  Adventures on the way, the joy of meeting others, care for those most in need.  Don Primo Mazzolari, a great figure among the Italian clergy, once said: “The Church began by walking, the Church continues by walking.  There is no need to knock at her door or to wait to be admitted.  Walk and you will find her; walk and she will be there at your side; keep walking and you will be in the Church” (Tempo di credere, Bologna 2010, 80-81).  Let us not forget that staying still ruins the heart just as stagnant water is the first to be contaminated.  

To walk in the path of Jesus means, in the end, to be builders of communion and unity.  Among the disciples, the worm of competition was destroying unity, while the path that Jesus walked was leading him to Calvary.  On the cross, he fulfilled the mission entrusted to him, that none be lost (cf. Jn 6:39), that the dividing wall of hostility (cf. Eph 2:14) be finally broken down, and that all might see themselves as children of the same Father and as brothers and sisters of one another.  For this reason, the Lord is looking to you, who come from different backgrounds and cultures, and represent the catholicity of the Church.  He is calling you to be witnesses of fraternity, artisans of communion and builders of unity.  This is your mission!

The great Saint Paul VI, addressing a group of new Cardinals, noted that, like the disciples, we can sometimes yield to the temptation of creating division, whereas “zeal for the pursuit of unity is the mark of Christ’s true disciples”.  The saintly Pope then added: “It is our desire that everyone feel at home in the ecclesial family, that there will be no exclusion or isolation, which proves so harmful to our unity in charity, or efforts to make some prevail to the detriment of others…  We must work, pray, suffer and struggle to bear witness to the Risen Christ” (Address on the Occasion of the Consistory, 27 June 1977).

In this same spirit, dear brothers, you will make a difference, in accordance with Jesus’ warning to the disciples about the corrosive competition of this world: “But it must not be so among you” (Mk 10:43).  It is as if he said: Come, follow me on my path, and you will be different.  Come, follow me and you will be a radiant sign in the midst of a society obsessed with appearances and power.  Once again, he tells us: “But it must not be so among you”.  Love one another with fraternal love and be servants to one another, servants of the Gospel.

Dear brothers, let us walk in the way of Jesus, together; let us walk with humility; let us walk with wonder and let us walk with joy.

07.12.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

After having reflected on the sanctifying and charismatic action of the Spirit, we will dedicate this catechesis to another aspect: the evangelizing work of the Holy Spirit, that is, on the role of preaching in the Church.

The First Letter of Peter defines the apostles as “those who preached the good news to you [through] the holy Spirit” (cf. 1:12). In this expression we find the two constitutive elements of Christian preaching: its content, which is the Gospel, and its means, which is the Holy Spirit. Let’s say something about one and the other.

In the New Testament, the word “Gospel” has two principal meanings. It can indicate any one of the four canonical Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and according to this definition the Gospel means the good news proclaimed by Jesus during His earthly life. After the Pasch, the word “Gospel” assumes its new meaning of good news about Jesus, that is, the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord. This is what the Apostle calls “Gospel” when he writes: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).

The preaching of Jesus and, subsequently, that of the Apostles, also contains all the moral duties that stem from the Gospel, starting from the ten commandments up to the “new” commandment of love. But if we do not want to relapse into the error denounced by the Apostle Paul of putting the law before grace and deeds before faith, it is necessary always to start anew from the proclamation of what Christ has done for us. Therefore, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium insists a lot on the first of these two things, namely the kerygma or “proclamation”, on which every moral application depends.

Indeed, “in catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first announcement or kerygma, which needs to be at the centre of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal. … The first proclamation is called ‘first’ not because it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another through the process of catechesis, at every level and moment. … We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma gives way to a supposedly more ‘solid’ formation. Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation” (nos. 164-165), namely, the kerygma.

So far, we have seen the content of Christian preaching. We must however bear in mind also the means by which it is proclaimed. The Gospel must be preached “through the Holy Spirit” (1 Pt 1:12). The Church must do precisely what Jesus says at the beginning of His public ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Lk 4:18). Preaching with the anointing of the Holy Spirit means transmitting, together with the ideas and the doctrine, the life and conviction of our faith. It means doing so “not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power” (1 Cor 2:4), as Saint Paul wrote.

It is easy to say, one might object, but how can it be put into practice if it does not depend on us, but on the coming of the Holy Spirit? In reality, there is one thing that does depend on us, or rather two, and I will briefly mention them. The first is prayer. The Holy Spirit comes to those who pray, because the heavenly Father – it is written – “give[s] the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Lk 11:13), especially if we ask Him in order to proclaim the Gospel of His Son! Woe to those who preach without praying! They become those whom the Apostle defines as “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (cf. 1 Cor 13:1).

So, the first thing that depends on us is praying, so that the Holy Spirit may come. The second is not wanting to preach ourselves, but Jesus the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 4:5). This relates to preaching. At times there are long sermons, twenty minutes, thirty minutes… But, please, preachers must preach an idea, a feeling and a call to action. Beyond eight minutes the preaching starts to fade, it is not understood. And I say this to preachers [applause] – I can see that you like to hear this! At times we see men who, when the sermon starts, go outside to smoke a cigarette and then come back in. Please, the sermon must be an idea, a feeling and a call to action. And it must never exceed ten minutes. This is very important.

The second thing, I was saying, is not to want to preach ourselves, but the Lord. There is no need to dwell on this, because anyone engaged in evangelization knows what it means in practice not to preach oneself. I will limit myself to a particular application of this requirement. Not wanting to preach oneself also implies not always giving priority to pastoral initiatives promoted by us and linked to our own name, but willingly collaborating, if requested, in community initiatives, or entrusted to us by obedience.

May the Holy Spirit help us, accompany us and teach the Church how to preach the Gospel in this way to the men and women of this time! Thank you.

04.12.24

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

The Gospel of today’s liturgy (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36), first Sunday of Advent, speaks to us about cosmic upheavals and anxiety and fear in humanity. In this context, Jesus addresses a word of hope to His disciples: “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (v. 28). The Master's concern is that their hearts do not grow drowsy (cf. v. 34) and that they await the coming of the Son of Man with vigilance.

Jesus’ invitation is this: raise your head high and keep your hearts light and awake.

Indeed, many of Jesus’ contemporaries, faced with the catastrophic events they saw happening around them – persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters – are gripped by anxiety and think that the end of the world is coming. Their hearts are weighed down with fear. Jesus, however, wants to free them from present anxieties and false convictions, showing them how to stay awake in their hearts, how to read events from the plan of God, who works salvation even within the most dramatic events of history. That is why He suggests that they turn their gaze to Heaven to understand the things of earth: “Stand erect and raise your heads” (v. 28). It is beautiful… “Stand erect and raise your heads”.

Brothers and sisters, for us too Jesus’ recommendation is important: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy” (v. 34). All of us, in many moments of life, ask ourselves: what can I do to have a light heart, a wakeful heart, a free heart? A heart that does not let itself be crushed by sadness? And sadness is awful, it is awful. Indeed, it can happen that the anxiety, fears and worries about our personal lives or about what is happening in the world today weigh down on us like boulders and throw us into discouragement. If worries weigh down our hearts and induce us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift up our heads, to trust in His love that wants to save us and that draws close to us in every situation of our existence, He asks us to make room for Him in order to find hope again.

And so, let us ask ourselves: is my heart weighed down by fear, worries and anxieties about the future? Do I know how to look at daily events and the vicissitudes of history with God’s eyes, in prayer, with a broader horizon? Or do I let myself be overcome by despondency? May this Advent season be a precious opportunity to lift our gaze to Him, who lightens our hearts and sustains us on our way.

Let us now invoke the Virgin Mary, who even in times of trial was ready to accept God’s plan.

01.12.24