Pope Francis 2014 Christmas Eve Homily

The Vatican's official English-language translation of Pope Francis' prepared homily, to be delivered 
in Italian, during Christmas Eve Mass on Wednesday in St. Peter's Basilica.

VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - "The people who walked in darkness haveseen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on themhas light shined" (Is 9:1). "An angel of the Lord appeared to (theshepherds) and the glory of the Lord shone around them" (Lk 2:9). Thisis how the liturgy of this holy Christmas night presents to us the birthof the Saviour: as the light which pierces and dispels the deepestdarkness. The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people cancelsthe sorrow of defeat and the misery of slavery, and ushers in joy andhappiness.

We, too, in this blessed night, have come to the house of God. We havepassed through the darkness which envelops the earth, guided by theflame of faith which illuminates our steps, and enlivened by the hope offinding the "great light". By opening our hearts, we also cancontemplate the miracle of that child-sun who, arising from on high,illuminates the horizon.

The origin of the darkness which envelops the world is lost in the nightof the ages. Let us think back to that dark moment when the first crimeof humanity was committed, when the hand of Cain, blinded by envy,killed his brother Abel (cf. Gen 4:8). As a result, the unfolding of thecenturies has been marked by violence, wars, hatred and oppression.

But God, who placed a sense of expectation within man made in his imageand likeness, was waiting. He waited for so long that perhaps at acertain point it seemed he should have given up. But he could not giveup because he could not deny himself (cf. 2 Tim 2:13). Therefore hecontinued to wait patiently in the face of the corruption of man andpeoples.

Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darknessreveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity isstronger than darkness and corruption. This is the message of Christmasnight. God does not know outbursts of anger or impatience; he is alwaysthere, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, waiting tocatch from afar a glimpse of the lost son as he returns.

Isaiah's prophecy announces the rising of a great light which breaksthrough the night. This light is born in Bethlehem and is welcomed bythe loving arms of Mary, by the love of Joseph, by the wonder of theshepherds. When the angels announced the birth of the Redeemer to theshepherds, they did so with these words: "This will be a sign for you:you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger"(Lk 2:12).

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The "sign" is the humility of God taken to the extreme; it is the lovewith which, that night, he assumed our frailty, our suffering, ouranxieties, our desires and our limitations. The message that everyonewas expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of theirsouls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks upon uswith eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love withour smallness.

On this holy night, while we contemplate the Infant Jesus just born andplaced in the manger, we are invited to reflect. How do we welcome thetenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God, to beembraced by him, or do I prevent him from drawing close? "But I amsearching for the Lord" - we could respond. Nevertheless, what is mostimportant is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to find me andcaress me with tenderness. The question put to us simply by the Infant'spresence is: do I allow God to love me?

More so, do we have the courage to welcome with tenderness thedifficulties and problems of those who are near to us, or do we preferimpersonal solutions, perhaps effective but devoid of the warmth of theGospel? How much the world needs tenderness today!

The Christian response cannot be different from God's response to oursmallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness. When werealize that God is in love with our smallness, that he made himselfsmall in order to better encounter us, we cannot help but open ourhearts to him, and beseech him: "Lord, help me to be like you, give methe grace of tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life,give me the grace of closeness in the face of every need, of meekness inevery conflict".

Dear brothers and sisters, on this holy night we contemplate theNativity scene: there "the people who walked in darkness have seen agreat light" (Is 9:1). People who were unassuming, open to receiving thegift of God, were the ones who saw this light. This light was not seen,however, by the arrogant, the proud, by those who made laws according totheir own personal measures, who were closed off to others. Let us lookto the crib and pray, asking the Blessed Mother: "O Mary, show usJesus!'"

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