On the Christmas Eve Mass, Pope Francis gave reassurance to the public that God is present in the most difficult times, even as the world is consumed by greed.
In his homily for the Night for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Pope emphasized that Jesus’ manger symbolizes “rejection and refusal,” noting conditions for “greed for consumption.”
“While animals feed in their stalls, men and women in our world, in their hunger for wealth and power, consume even their neighbors, their brothers and sisters,” the Pope said, as translated by Vatican News.
He said that the presence of wars and inequality and how this affects children. The birth of Christ in the manger though shows that God is present even in the worst human situations possible.
He also added that is also a reminder “that God truly became flesh.” The love of the Lord, according to Pope Francis, “feeds us” and makes us humble. This was why people can take comfort in the thought that God is near even during our sufferings.
“[There is] no evil nor sin from which Jesus does not want to save us. And He can. Christmas means that God is close to us: let confidence be reborn!” Pope Francis said.
“The poverty of the manger “shows us where the true riches in life are to be found: not in money and power, but in relationships and persons.”
All while the image of poverty resonates in Jesus’ humble birth in the manger, true wealth, according to the Pope, is through Him.
