The Christ Child arrived poor and yet brought abundant gifts of joy, hope, faith, peace and the unexpected gift that those gifts are within us simply because we are loved. The gift of ourselves comes when we let go of fear and are lead by unfailing love which takes discipline, grace, and courage.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis' message last year:
"Let’s not get caught up in a frenzy of shopping, presents, and meals, all while ignoring the poor and forgetting who the celebration of Christmas is really all about, Pope Francis advised.
“If Christmas ends up as just a beautiful traditional holiday,” where everything revolves around “us and not Him, it will be a lost opportunity,” the Pope continued, “Please, let us not make Christmas worldly. Let us not put aside the one being celebrated."
“Trees, ornaments, and lights are everywhere, and the advertising machine invites people to exchange more new gifts to surprise,” he said.
"The day of Jesus’ birth was a day “full of surprises” in which everybody’s life took totally unexpected turns, and customs and plans were turned upside down, he said: Mary, a virgin, was going to have a child; Joseph, her groom, faced scandal with her pregnancy, but listened to God and took her as his wife; and the divine Word came as an infant incapable of speech."
"The people who welcomed the savior of the world were not the local authorities, leaders or ambassadors. Instead, they were “simple shepherds, who, surprised by an angel while they were working at night, rushed there without delay. Who would have expected that?” the pope asked, adding that God does the unexpected and “overturns our logic and our expectations.”
"Christmas, therefore, “is welcoming on earth surprises from heaven, it is a time to let oneself be “shaken by his surprising ways” because Jesus offers not the “reassuring coziness from a fireplace, but the divine shiver which shakes history.”
"Christmas “turns the tables” because the victors had humility over arrogance, simplicity over abundance, silence over noise, prayer over “me time” and God over one’s ego, he said.
"We should choose God’s silent voice over the “uproar of consumerism,” he said, inviting people to take time out to sit in silence before a Nativity and let themselves feel awe and be surprised by God.
"Pope Francis said. “It will not be Christmas if we seek the blinding lights of the world if we fill ourselves with presents, lunches, and dinners unless we address the poverty around us and bring our gift to share.” Pope Francis.
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