This night the mystery, which never ceases to amaze and move us, was renewed: the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger. This is how the shepherds of Bethlehem found him, full of joy, while the angels sang: “Glory to God and peace to men” (cf. Lc 2, 6-14).
Yes, this event, which occurred more than two thousand years ago, is renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit of Love and Life who fertilized the womb of Mary and, from her human flesh, formed Jesus. Thus, today, in the birth of our time, the eternal Word of salvation is incarnate anew and truly, it says to every man and woman, it says to the whole world: I love you, I love you. forgive, come back to me, the door to my heart is open!
Brothers and sisters, the door to God’s heart is always open, let us return to Him! Let us return to this heart that loves us and forgives us! Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by Him, let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with Him!
This is the meaning of the Holy Door of Jubilee, which I opened last night, here at Saint-Pierre: it represents Jesus, the Door of salvation open to all. Jesus is the Door that the merciful Father opened in the middle of the world, at the heart of history, so that we can all return to Him. We are all like lost sheep and we need a Shepherd and a Door to return to the Father’s house. Jesus is the Shepherd, Jesus is the Door.
Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid! The Door is open, it is wide open! Come! Let us be reconciled with God, and then we will be reconciled with ourselves and we will be able to be reconciled with one another, including our enemies. Yes, the mercy of God can do everything, it undoes all the knots, it breaks down all the walls of division, it dissolves hatred and the spirit of vengeance. Come! Jesus is the Door of peace.
Often, we only stop at the threshold, we do not have the courage to cross it, because it calls out to us. Entering the Door requires the sacrifice of taking a step, of leaving behind disputes and divisions, to abandon oneself to the open arms of the Child who is the Prince of Peace. This Christmas, the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite each person, each people and each nation to have the courage to cross the Door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the weapons and to overcome divisions !
Let the guns be silent in martyred Ukraine! May we have the audacity to open the door to negotiation and gestures of dialogue and meeting, to achieve a just and lasting peace.
Let the guns be silent in the Middle East! With my eyes fixed on the cradle of Bethlehem, my thoughts go to the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is disastrous. May the fire stop, the hostages be freed and the population exhausted by hunger and war be helped. I am also close to the Christian community in Lebanon, particularly in the south, and to that of Syria, during this very delicate period. May the doors of dialogue and peace open throughout the conflict-torn region. I also want to remind the Libyan people here, encouraging them to seek solutions that allow national reconciliation.
May the birth of the Savior bring a time of hope to the families of thousands of children who are dying from a measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to the populations of the East of the country and those of Burkina Faso, from Mali, Niger and Mozambique. The humanitarian crisis affecting them is mainly caused by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism. It is aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change which lead to loss of human life and the displacement of millions of people. I also think of the populations of the countries of the Horn of Africa for whom I implore the gifts of peace, harmony and fraternity. May the Son of the Most High support the efforts of the international community to promote access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and begin new negotiations with a view to a ceasefire.
May the announcement of Christmas bring comfort to the people of Myanmar who, due to continued armed clashes, are suffering seriously and are forced to flee their homes. May the Child Jesus inspire political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent, so that effective solutions are found as quickly as possible, in truth and justice, in order to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti. , in Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, and that we strive, especially in this jubilee year, to build the common good and to rediscover the dignity of each person, beyond political divisions. May the Jubilee be an opportunity to break down all the walls of separation: the ideological walls, which so often mark political life, and the physical walls, like the division which has affected the island of Cyprus for fifty years now and which has torn its human and social fabric. I hope that a common solution can be found to end the division, with full respect for the rights and dignity of all Cypriot communities.
Jesus, the eternal Word of God made man, is the wide open Door that we are invited to cross to rediscover the meaning of our existence and the sacred character of all life, and to rediscover the founding values of the human family. He is waiting for us at the door. He waits for each of us, especially the most fragile. He waits for the children, all the children who suffer from war and hunger; It awaits the elderly, often forced to live in conditions of solitude and abandonment; He waits for those who have lost their homes or who are fleeing their land in order to find a safe refuge; He waits for those who have lost or cannot find work; He waits for the prisoners who, despite everything, always remain children of God. He waits for those who are persecuted for their faith.
On this day of celebration, our gratitude goes to those who do good silently and faithfully: I think of parents, educators and teachers, who have the great responsibility of training future generations; I think of health workers, law enforcement, those engaged in works of charity, in particular the missionaries spread throughout the world who bring light and comfort to so many people in difficulty. To everyone, we want to say: thank you!
Brothers and sisters, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to forgive debts, particularly those that weigh on the poorest countries. Everyone is called to forgive the offenses received, because the Son of God, who was born in the cold and darkness of the night, forgives all our debts. He came to heal us and forgive us. Pilgrims of hope, let us go to meet him! Let us open the doors of our hearts to Him, as He opened the door of His Heart to us.
I wish you all a Merry and Holy Christmas.
