GENERAL AUDIENCE 17 DECEMBER 2014
JESUS CHOSE TO COME TO THE WORLD AS PART OF A FAMILY
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014
Vatican
City, 17 December 2014 (VIS) – The family is the “great gift that the Lord has
given to the world ever since the beginning, when he entrusted to Adam and Eve
the mission of multiplying and filling the earth; the gift that Jesus confirmed
and sealed in His Gospel”, said the Holy Father during this Wednesday's general
audience, in the first of the new cycle of catechesis dedicated to the family,
which will continue throughout the coming year.
The
proximity to Christmas illuminates the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of
God, which opens a new chapter in the universal history of man and woman. “And
this new beginning occurs within a family, in Nazareth. He could have come
spectacularly, or as a warrior, an emperor… No – he came as the son of a
family, in a family”, he emphasised.
God
chose to be born “in a human family, that He Himself had formed. He created
this family in a remote village in the outer reaches of the Roman Empire. Not
in Rome, the capital of the Empire, not in a great city, but in an almost
invisible and somewhat notorious periphery. This is even noted in the Gospel,
almost as if it were a turn of phrase: 'Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?'. Perhaps, in many parts of the world, we too still speak in this way
when we hear the name of certain peripheral areas of large cities. And yet, it
was precisely there, in the outskirts of the great Empire, that there began the
most holy and good story of Jesus among mankind”.
“Jesus
chose to remain in the periphery for thirty years, during which there is no
mention of miracles or healing, of preaching, of crowds who run after him. In
Nazareth, everything seems to happen 'normally', according to the habits of a
pious and hard-working family of Israelites. … The Gospels, in their sobriety,
say nothing of Jesus' adolescence and leave this task to our affectionate
imaginings. Art, literature and music have followed the path of the
imagination. Certainly, it is not difficult to imagine how much mothers could
learn from Mary's tender care for her Son! And how much fathers could benefit
from the example of Joseph, a righteous man, who dedicated his life to
supporting and defending his wife and child – is family – through difficult times.
To say nothing of how much the young could be encouraged by the adolescent
Jesus in understanding the necessity and beauty of cultivating their deepest
vocation, and of having great dreams”, he added.
“Every
Christian family – as Mary and Joseph did – must first welcome Jesus, listen to
Him, speak with Him, shelter Him, protect Him, grow with Him; and in this way,
make the world better. Let us make space in our heart and in our days for the
Lord. This is what Mary and Joseph did, and it was not easy: how many
difficulties they had to overcome! It was not a false or unreal family. The
family of Nazareth calls to us to rediscover the vocation and the mission of
the family, of every family. And so what happened in those thirty years in
Nazareth can also happen to us: making love, not hate, normal; mutual help
common, instead of indifference and hostility. It is not by chance that
Nazareth means 'she who preserves', like Mary who, as the Gospel tells us,
'treasured all these things in her heart'. From then on, whenever there is a
family that preserves this mystery, even if it should be at the outer reaches
of the world, the mystery of the Son of God is at work. And He
comes to save the world”.
© Copyright – Vatican Information
Service
edited, 12 January 2015
The text from Libreria Vaticana:
edited, 12 January 2015
The text from Libreria Vaticana:
THE FAMILY – 1. NAZARETH
GENERAL
AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
St. Peter's
Square
Wednesday,
17 December 2014
The family - 1. Nazareth
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning,
The Synod of Bishops on the
Family, recently celebrated, was the first stage of a journey, which will
conclude next October with the celebration of another Assembly on the theme:
“The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and [Contemporary]
World”. The prayer and reflection which must accompany this journey is required
of all the People of God. I would also like the customary meditations of the
Wednesday Audiences to be included in this common journey. I have therefore
decided to reflect with you, this year, precisely on the family, on this great
gift that the Lord has made to the world from the very beginning, when he
entrusted Adam and Eve with the mission to multiply and fill the earth (cf. Gen
1:28); that gift that Jesus confirmed and sealed in his Gospel.
The nearness of Christmas
casts a great light on this mystery. The Incarnation of the Son of God opens a
new beginning in the universal history of man and woman. And this new beginning
happens within a family, in Nazareth. Jesus was born in a family. He could have
come in a spectacular way, or as a warrior, an emperor.... No, no: he is born
in a family, in a family. This is important: to perceive in the nativity, this
beautiful scene.
God chose to come into the
world in a human family, which He himself formed. He formed it in a remote
village on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. Not in Rome, which was the
capital of the Empire, not in a big city, but on its nearly invisible outskirts,
indeed, of little renown. The Gospels also recall this, almost as an
expression: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). Perhaps, in
many parts of the world, we still talk this way, when we hear the name of some
areas on the periphery of a big city. And so, right there, on the outskirts of
the great Empire, began the most holy and good story of Jesus among men! And
that is where this family was.
Jesus dwelt on that periphery
for 30 years. The Evangelist Luke summarizes this period like this: Jesus “was
obedient to them”; — that is, to Mary and Joseph. And someone might say: “But
did this God, who comes to save us, waste 30 years there, in that suburban
slum?”. He wasted 30 years! He wanted this. Jesus’ path was in that family —
“and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in
wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man” (Lk 2:51-52). It does
not recount miracles or healing, or preaching — He did none in that period — or
of crowds flocking; in Nazareth everything seemed to happen “normally”,
according to the customs of a pious and hardworking Israelite family: they
worked, the mother cooked, she did all the housework, ironed shirts... all the
things mothers do. The father, a carpenter, worked, taught his son the trade.
Thirty years. “But what a waste, Father!”. God works in mysterious ways. But
what was important there was the family! And this was not a waste! They were
great saints: Mary, the most holy woman, immaculate, and Joseph, a most
righteous man.... The family.
We are certainly moved by the
story of how the adolescent Jesus followed the religious calendar of the
community and the social duties; in knowing how, as a young worker, He worked
with Joseph; and then how He attended the reading of the Scriptures, in praying
the Psalms and in so many other customs of daily life. The Gospels, in their
sobriety, make no reference to Jesus’ adolescence and leave this task to our
loving meditation. Art, literature, music have taken this journey through
imagination. It is certainly not difficult to imagine how much mothers could
learn from Mary’s care for that Son! And how much fathers could glean from the
example of Joseph, a righteous man, who dedicated his life to supporting and
protecting the Child and his wife — his family — in difficult times. Not to
mention how much children could be encouraged by the adolescent Jesus to
understand the necessity and beauty of cultivating their most profound vocation
and of dreaming great dreams! In those 30 years, Jesus cultivated his vocation,
for which the Father had sent him. And in that time, Jesus never became
discouraged, but increased in courage in order to carry his mission forward.
Each Christian family can
first of all — as Mary and Joseph did — welcome Jesus, listen to Him, speak
with Him, guard Him, protect Him, grow with Him; and in this way improve the
world. Let us make room in our heart and in our day for the Lord. As Mary and
Joseph also did, and it was not easy: how many difficulties they had to
overcome! They were not a superficial family, they were not an unreal family.
The family of Nazareth urges us to rediscover the vocation and mission of the
family, of every family. And, what happened in those 30 years in Nazareth, can
thus happen to us too: in seeking to make love and not hate normal, making
mutual help commonplace, not indifference or enmity. It is no coincidence,
then, that “Nazareth” means “She who keeps”, as Mary, who — as the Gospel
states — “kept all these things in her heart” (cf. Lk 2:19, 51). Since then,
each time there is a family that keeps this mystery, even if it were on the
periphery of the world, the mystery of the Son of God, the mystery of Jesus who
comes to save us, the mystery is at work. He comes to save the world. And this
is the great mission of the family: to make room for Jesus who is coming, to
welcome Jesus in the family, in each member: children, husband, wife,
grandparents.... Jesus is there. Welcome him there, in order that He grow
spiritually in the family. May the Lord grant us this grace in these last days
of Advent. Thank you.
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