AT
CHRISTMAS, JESUS CALLS OUT AGAIN TO THE HEART OF EVERY CHRISTIAN
ANGELUS POPE
FRANCIS
THE FOURTH
SUNDAY OF ADVENT, 21 DECEMBER 2014
Vatican City, 21 December 2014 (VIS) –
On the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, with Christmas just around the
corner, the Gospel narrates the Angel's annunciation to Mary and the Virgin's
“yes” that made possible the Incarnation, the revelation of a mystery
“enveloped in silence for eternity”. Before this morning's Angelus prayer, Pope
Francis addressed the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, focusing on two
essential aspects of Mary's attitude as a model to prepare for Christmas.
The first is her faith, which consists
of listening to the Word of God in order to surrender herself entirely to it,
with full willingness of both mind and heart. “In her 'yes', full of faith,
Mary does not know which road she will have to embark upon, how much pain she will
have to suffer, what risks she will run. But she is aware that it is the Lord
Who asks her to entrust herself entirely to Him, and she surrenders herself to
His love. This is Mary's faith”.
“Another aspect is the capacity of the
Mother of Christ to recognise the time of God. Mary teaches us to seize the
favourable moment in which Jesus passes into our life and asks for a prompt and
generous response”.
“And Jesus passes”, added the Pope,
“because the mystery of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, which historically took
place more than two thousand years ago, occurs as a spiritual event on the
'today' of the Liturgy. The Word, that finds a home in the virginal womb of
Mary, during the celebration of the Nativity calls out to the heart of every
Christian; it passes, and knocks on the door. Each one of us is called to
answer, like Mary, with a personal and sincere 'yes', placing ourselves
entirely at the disposal of God and His mercy, His love”.
“How many times does Jesus pass into
our lives!”, he exclaimed. “And how many times he sends us an angel, and how
often we do not realise, because we are too preoccupied, immersed in our
thoughts, in our affairs and even, these days, in our preparations for
Christmas, to realise that He passes and knocks at the door of our heart,
asking for welcome, asking for a 'yes', like that of Mary”.
“A saint once said, 'I am afraid that
the Lord will pass'. Do you know why he was afraid? He was afraid he would not
welcome Him, that he would let Him pass by. When we feel in our heart, 'I would
like to be a better person', “I feel remorse for doing that”, it is the Lord
Who is calling. He makes you feel this: the wish to be better, the wish to stay
closer to others and to God. If you feel this, then stop. It is the Lord Who is
there! And pray, perhaps go to Confession, to clean up a little … this does you
good. But keep in mind: if you feel this desire to improve, it is He Who is
calling: do not let Him pass by”.
Francis also recalled, in the mystery
of the Nativity, the silent presence of Joseph and emphasised the example that
he and Mary offer as an invitation to receive with total openness the Lord
Jesus, “who for love made Himself into our brother, and came to bring light to
the world”, as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds: 'on earth peace, good
will toward men'”.
“The precious gift of Christmas is
peace”, he concluded. “Christ, Who is our true peace, calls to our hearts to
give us peace, the peace of the soul. Let us open the doors to Christ”.
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