0
0
Pope’s traditional Christmas audience with Catholic Action Youth
Consistory Hall – Friday, 20 December 2024
“Cherish the world with the wonder of God’s Love”
Pope Francis invited a group of 80 girls and boys from Catholic Action (ACR) to always cherish the wonder of God’s love in order to infect the world with wonder.
He recalled the example of Blessed Carlo Acutis – who will be canonized on April 27, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people,
Thank you for coming again this year for Christmas greetings!
I greet the National President and the General Assistant, the leaders, the educators, I greet you all!
You have chosen the theme “Going out into the deep” to guide this year’s journey of formation.
This immediately brings to mind the first disciples of Jesus, who were fishermen; and Jesus made them “fishers of men” (Lk 5:1-11). I would like to reflect with you for a moment on these two images: fishing and amazement.
First: fishing, being fishers of men.
What does that mean?
Perhaps “catching” people, perhaps using more modern networks?
That is certainly not what the Lord wants.
God does not want to “catch” anyone, because he respects our freedom.
Instead, he offers his love and salvation to all, without expecting anything in return and without exclusion.
He shares with us the joy at being the beloved Son of the Father: “Do you know? I have a wonderful Father, who loves everyone, without limits, and I want to make him known to you too, so that you may be happy with me!”
This is how Jesus acts as a “fisher of men”: he infects them with the joy and wonder of his love.
And this brings us to the second point: amazement, knowing how to be amazed.
Have you seen boring people? Have you? There exist. And do you know why?
Because these people do not know how to be surprised!
All like this, all the same, monotonous: they have lost the capacity for amazement.
Christmas is a very special time in this sense: the streets are filled with lights, gifts are exchanged, the liturgy is enriched with beautiful songs and sounds…
The children and young people of Catholic Action come here and, one, two, three, sing…
Everything is beautiful. Let us think of the crib: how much wonder there is there!
The shepherds, the Magi and the other characters surround the manger with their amazed faces,
even the animals and the whole landscape are involved as if in a great feast.
Stop in front of one crib and have a good look, then go to another and have a closer look…
They are all different, the Neapolitan cribs are beautiful!
But in all of them Jesus, the Madonna and Joseph are always present:
Jesus is that love that God has sent us and the Madonna and Joseph make that love grow.
But be careful, because this is not only true at Christmas.
Our whole life, in fact, is an extraordinary gift: each of us is unique and every day is special, as Blessed Carlo Acutis used to say.
Do you know him? Do you know that he will soon be a saint? Beautiful!
He said: we have to be “original”, not “photocopies”!
And how many people do not have the ability to be original. They are photocopies!
Today it is done because the newspaper says that it must be done, or out of habit.
And Christmas, for many people, is a “photocopy” of many things, and not the encounter – so beautiful! – that each year brings something new, something new to the soul and heart of each one of us.
Look at the crib, look at Our Lady, at Joseph and the Child, at the Magi, at the shepherds, at the humble people who come to see Jesus.
So let’s learn to be amazed. Please do not lose the capacity for wonder.
Let us learn never to take anything for granted, especially love: that of God and that of the people we meet.
Let us count everything and everyone with our wonder: from house to house, from parish to parish, from city to city, from nation to nation.
In this way we spread happiness, trust and consolation. Christmas is good news.
t’s not about food and nothing else. We eat, it’s nice, the family…
But there are other things: you see the crib, you go to church.
It is a holiday that is at the root of our faith.
I know that you have brought gifts for those who are most in need.
Do not forget the needy! And when you find needy children, needy people, look them in the eye and touch their hand when you give alms, very close, with that closeness that only love gives.
And Mary and Jesus were needy.
Who among you goes to give birth where Jesus was born?
They go to the hospital or they go home… Jesus was born there, in a stable.
They were poor, they were needy. Do not forget the children in need, look for them!
And give your love, your companionship, and help them.
I like this, that you have brought gifts to give to the poor.
I know that you have brought gifts for those who are most in need.
Do not forget those in need! And when you find needy children, needy people, look them in the eye and touch the hand when you give alms, very close, with that closeness that only love gives.
And Mary and Jesus were in need.
Who among you goes to give birth where Jesus was born?
They go to the clinic or home… Jesus was born there, in a stable.
They were poor, they were needy. Do not forget the children in need, look for them!
And give your love, your companionship, and help them.
I like this, that you have brought gifts to give to the poor.
And I encourage you to always be close, in prayer and charity, to those who suffer, to the many young people like you who are sick from hunger, war, disease.
Speaking of the war, young people from Ukraine come here: they bring them to get them out of that ugly war.
Do you know that Ukrainian children, who lived through the war, have forgotten their smiles?
They don’t know how to smile. Think of these children, these young people.
In doing so, you echo the song of the angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men whom he loves” (Lk 2:14).
Dear friends, I bless you, and with you all the children and young people of Catholic Action. And you, please, do not forget to pray for me. May the Lord bless you!
