“Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Saviour has been born in the world. Today, true peace has come down to us from heaven,” Pope Leo XIV in his Urbi et Orbi [to the city and to the world] blessing on Christmas Day.
The pope noted, “Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn,” adding, “The Son of God, through whom all things were created, was not welcomed, and a poor manger for animals was his crib.”
The pope noted that the eternal Word, who could not be contained by the heavens, chose to enter our world out of love. He shared our humanity, accepted poverty and rejection, and identified with the excluded.
He said that from his birth to his death on the cross, Jesus chose to bear our sin out of love. He calls us to take responsibility and to love, for salvation requires our free response. We cannot love God if we do not love one another.
“Sisters and brothers, responsibility is the sure way to peace. If all of us, at every level, would stop accusing others and instead acknowledge our own faults, asking God for forgiveness, and if we would truly enter into the suffering of others and stand in solidarity with the weak and the oppressed, then the world would change,” Pope Leo said.
Let us open our hearts to our brothers and sisters who are in need or in pain. In doing so, we open our hearts to the Child Jesus, who welcomes us with open arms and reveals his divinity to us
Pope Leo XIV
The pope pointed out that Jesus Christ is our peace: he frees us from sin and shows us how to overcome all conflict and that with hearts forgiven can we become true builders of peace. That is why he was born and died for us. With his grace, we must reject hatred and violence, and practise dialogue, peace, and reconciliation.
“I wish to send a warm and fatherly greeting to all Christians, especially those living in the Middle East, whom I recently visited on my first Apostolic Journey. I listened to them as they expressed their fears and know well their sense of powerlessness before the power dynamics that overwhelm them. The Child born today in Bethlehem is the same Jesus who says: “In me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” [Jn 16:33], the pope said.
“From God let us ask for justice, peace and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Syria, trusting in these divine words: ‘The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever’” [Is 32:17].
He then entrusted the European continent to Jesus, asking that he continue to inspire a spirit of community and cooperation, in fidelity to its Christian roots and history, along with solidarity with – and acceptance of – those in need. The pope particularly mentioned the people of Ukraine praying, “may the clamor of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue.”
The pope also prayed for victims of all current wars in the world, especially those that are forgotten, and for those who suffer due to injustice, political instability, religious persecution and terrorism, imploring for peace and consolation to come to them. In addition he prayed for the people of Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti.
The Son of God, through whom all things were created, was not welcomed, and a poor manger for animals was his crib.
Pope Leo
Pope Leo went on to pray, “May the Child Jesus inspire those in Latin America who hold political responsibilities, so that, in facing the numerous challenges, space may be given to dialogue for the common good, rather than to ideological and partisan prejudices.”
The pope also asked for the illumination of Myanmar “with the light of a future of reconciliation, restoring hope to the younger generations, guiding its entire people along paths of peace, and accompanying those who live without shelter, security or confidence in tomorrow.”
He also lifted up Thailand and Cambodia, praying for the restoration of the ancient friendship, and working towards reconciliation and peace.
“We also entrust to God the peoples of South Asia and Oceania, who have been severely tested by recent, devastating natural disasters that have struck entire communities. In the face of such trials, I invite everyone to renew, with heartfelt conviction, our shared commitment to assisting those who suffer,” the pope prayed.
Pope Leo exhorted: “Let us not allow ourselves to be overcome by indifference towards those who suffer, for God is not indifferent to our distress He reminded that in becoming man, Jesus took upon himself our fragility, identifying with each one of us: with those who have nothing left and have lost everything, like the inhabitants of Gaza; with those who are prey to hunger and poverty, like the Yemeni people; with those who are fleeing their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, like the many refugees and migrants who cross the Mediterranean or traverse the American continent; with those who have lost their jobs and those who are looking for work, like so many young people who struggle to find employment; with those who are exploited, like many underpaid workers; with those in prison, who often live in inhumane conditions.
Pope Leo then quoted from “Wildpeace” by the poet, Yehuda Amichai:
Not the peace of a cease-fire,
not even the vision of the wolf and the lamb,
but rather
as in the heart when the excitement is over
and you can talk only about a great weariness…
Let it come
like wildflowers,
suddenly, because the field
must have it: wildpeace.
“Let us open our hearts to our brothers and sisters who are in need or in pain. In doing so, we open our hearts to the Child Jesus, who welcomes us with open arms and reveals his divinity to us: ‘But to all who received him… he gave power to become children of God’ [John 1:12], the pope concluded.
“In a few days’ time, the Jubilee Year will come to an end. The Holy Doors will close, but Christ our hope remains with us always! He is the Door that is always open, leading us into divine life. This is the joyful proclamation of this day: the Child who was born is God made man; he comes not to condemn but to save; his is not a fleeting appearance, for he comes to stay and to give himself. In him, every wound is healed and every heart finds rest and peace. ‘The Lord’s birth is the birth of peace.’
To all of you, I offer heartfelt good wishes for a peaceful and holy Christmas!”
