Pope Benedict gave his first Christmas message as Pope today, it is really quite beautiful. Here it is in its entirety – blessings to you and yours this Christmas:
“I bring you good news of a great joy … for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11)
Last night we heard once more the Angel’s message to the shepherds, and we experienced anew the atmosphere of that holy Night, Bethlehem Night, when the Son of God became man, was born in a lowly stable and dwelt among us.On this solemn day, the Angel’s proclamation rings out once again, inviting us, the men and women of the third millennium, to welcome the Saviour. May the people of today’s world not hesitate to let him enter their homes, their cities, their nations, everywhere on earth! In the millennium just past, and especially in the last centuries, immense progress was made in the areas of technology and science.
Today we can dispose of vast material resources. But the men and women in our technological age risk becoming victims of their own intellectual and technical achievements, ending up in spiritual barrenness and emptiness of heart. That is why it is so important for us to open our minds and hearts to the Birth of Christ, this event of salvation which can give new hope to the life of each human being.
Wake up, O man! For your sake God became man” (Saint Augustine, Sermo, 185. Wake up, O men and women of the third millennium!
At Christmas, the Almighty becomes a child and asks for our help and protection. His way of showing that he is God challenges our way of being human.
By knocking at our door, he challenges us and our freedom; he calls us to examine how we understand and live our lives. The modern age is often seen as an awakening of reason from its slumbers, humanity’s enlightenment after an age of darkness. Yet without the light of Christ, the light of reason is not sufficient to enlighten humanity and the world.
For this reason, the words of the Christmas Gospel: “the true Light that enlightens every man was coming into this world” (Jn 1:9) resound now more than ever as a proclamation of salvation. “It is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear” (Gaudium et Spes, 22). The Church does not tire of repeating this message of hope reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which concluded forty years ago.
Men and women of today, humanity come of age yet often still so frail in mind and will, let the Child of Bethlehem take you by the hand! Do not fear; put your trust in him! The life-giving power of his light is an incentive for building a new world order based on just ethical and economic relationships.
May his love guide every people on earth and strengthen their common consciousness of being a “family” called to foster relationships of trust and mutual support. A united humanity will be able to confront the many troubling problems of the present time: from the menace of terrorism to the humiliating poverty in which millions of human beings live, from the proliferation of weapons to the pandemics and the environmental destruction which threatens the future of our planet.
May the God who became man out of love for humanity strengthen all those in Africa who work for peace, integral development and the prevention of fratricidal conflicts, for the consolidation of the present, still fragile political transitions, and the protection of the most elementary rights of those experiencing tragic humanitarian crises, such as those in Darfur and in other regions of central Africa. May he lead the peoples of Latin America to live in peace and harmony. May he grant courage to people of good will in the Holy Land, in Iraq, in Lebanon, where signs of hope, which are not lacking, need to be confirmed by actions inspired by fairness and wisdom; may he favour the process of dialogue on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere in the countries of Asia, so that, by the settlement of dangerous disputes, consistent and peaceful conclusions can be reached in a spirit of friendship, conclusions which their peoples expectantly await.
At Christmas we contemplate God made man, divine glory hidden beneath the poverty of a Child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger; the Creator of the Universe reduced to the helplessness of an infant. Once we accept this paradox, we discover the Truth that sets us free and the Love that transforms our lives. On Bethlehem Night, the Redeemer becomes one of us, our companion along the precarious paths of history. Let us take the hand which he stretches out to us: it is a hand which seeks to take nothing from us, but only to give.
With the shepherds let us enter the stable of Bethlehem beneath the loving gaze of Mary, the silent witness of his miraculous birth. May she help us to experience the happiness of Christmas, may she teach us how to treasure in our hearts the mystery of God who for our sake became man; and may she help us to bear witness in our world to his truth, his love and his peace.
Posted by christian on December 26, 2006 at 1:49 am
Hey Wayne. Hope things are well. We have to be out for your New Years Eve Party. Sorry. I have to work at 11 and Mo’s b-time is 7. We’d like to have you guys over for dinner sometime though. Or for a drink or whatever. I also want to go to some of the January series. Let me knwo when there are good ones eh? Maybe you can blog about upcoming speakers or put the calendar on here.
Posted by Alex on December 29, 2006 at 5:26 am
The pope’s prayer is like a nicely wrapped present that turns out to be an empty box. However, I suppose it is a bit much to expect the leader of the catholic faith to approach things from an evangelical way of thinking. Aside from the part about God asking for our help and protection, things are relatively broad enough to appease most Christians, although his remarks about the North Korean dictator are far too generous. I was tracking pretty well until the end, when his remarks about Mary seem to portray her as some kind of Holy Spirit. Don’t look to the Holy Spirit or Jesus to help you keep Christmas in your hearts kids, look to the human being with no divinity attached to her, much less a full understanding of what her son came to do to help you understand. Oh, by the way, I didn’t realize that JOSEPH wasn’t looking on with a LOVING GAZE when Jesus was born. Seems I must be reading a different Bible. Am I the only one who finds it odd that a religion which so reveres a woman (Mary) doesn’t allow women much of a place in its leadership? I am curious as to your reasons for posting his prayer, Wayne.
Posted by Wayne on December 29, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Alex, I posted this because, as I said, I believe it is a beautiful Christmas message. I also posted it because I greatly respect the Pope’s position as the leader of the largest body of Christians in the world. I don’t understand the anti-Catholic sentiment of your comment. Perhaps certain Christian traditions have overemphasized Mary. However, sadly, far too many Protestants are guilty of underemphasizing her, dusting her off only at Christmas and then putting her away with our Christmas decorations the rest of the year. Luther or Calvin would have never imagined such a low view of Mary as that which has developed in much of contemporary Protestantism. If you are interested here is a great article about reclaiming Mary by an evangelical.
Mary issues aside, the majority of the Popes message is focused on Christ and “His way of showing that he is God” which does indeed challenge “our way of being human.” I find it to be a beatiful reminder of Christ’s kenosis.
Blessings,
Wayne
Posted by Alex on December 29, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Wayne,
I agree with you that most of the Pope’s message was about Christ, because it was. I suppose most of my reaction was generated by my irritation at his comments about Mary. I am not so much anti-Catholic as I am against the heretical teachings found in their doctrine and theology. I am certainly not going to say that all Catholics are not Christians, anymore than I would say that about any Christian group who I feel has inconsistent theology or doctrine. It is not my place to judge who is saved or not. I also agree that it is wrong to de-emphasize the role that Mary played in the birth of Jesus, but at the same time, what about Joseph? There is not too much more that is said about Mary than there is about Joseph in the Bible. I am very wary of any teaching that does not place Christ first in all things. I suppose that any anti-Catholic which may have come from my comment is generated by the fact that I do not respect the Pope the way you do. It causes me great consternation to see how so many people treat any of what the Pope says as holy writ. It is ridiculous to suppose that any Christian has anymore of a direct link with God than the rest of us. Wasn’t that signified by the temple curtain that was torn in two after Christ’s death? The Pope as a great leader? Maybe. The Pope as God’s spokesman to all Catholics? Definitely not. I hope that helps you understand a bit of where I am coming from.
Posted by christian on December 30, 2006 at 2:21 am
I guess I’m confused as to what the pope said about Mary that was so offensive.
“May she help us to experience the happiness of Christmas, may she teach us how to treasure in our hearts the mystery of God who for our sake became man; and may she help us to bear witness in our world to his truth, his love and his peace”.
I hope that she does do that, whether it’s through some supernatural experience or just through the story. We all know what issues protestants have with with the CC, but I suppose I try to look past that and extract the truth from it’s teachings (which is great).
Posted by Wayne on December 31, 2006 at 1:45 am
Christian, thank you for your input. I believe that Mary can “teach us how to treasure in our hearts the mystery of God who for our sake became man” both by her example, i.e. her part in the story of our Lord and by taking our concerns to Christ. God is the God of the living and not the dead and therefore asking Mary or any of the saints that have gone before us to help us or to go to our Lord for us is not much different then me asking you to help me or to go to God in prayer for me except that in all probability they are now in closer communion with God than you or I.
Alex, I am not sure what Catholic teaching you believe to be heretical, but it is my hope that anyone posting on this blog will think long and hard before dropping the H word about another Christian or group of Christians. Heresy is a very serious charge – in using it one is claiming another to be outside of orthodox Christian teaching.
As far as the Bible not saying much more about Mary than it did Joseph that is simply not true. Joseph did not sing the Magnificat (Mary’s song in Luke 1:46 – 55) declaring:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
It is a beautiful song. Mary is also there at Jesus’ first miracle which he performs at her request. She is present at his crucifixion where Jesus entrusts her to John. As for Joseph, he does not appear in stories of Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection and Mary does.
And it was Mary who was declared by the early Church and the third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus to be Theotokos – the God bearer. That is a pretty significant honor and title. None of this is to say anything bad about Joseph but just that there was something very special about Mary.
I don’t know what to say as to the rest of your comments about the Pope. I find them to be too irreverent. Catholics and Protestants have a different ecclesiology that is for sure and an integral part of that for Catholics is holding the Pope as the Church’s leader. But it is not as different as you suggest. As a member of the Christian Reformed Church, I still submit myself to the leadership of my pastor and to the church synod which is in authority over him. Catholics have priests, bishops and a Pope. Most all Christians acknowledge that God has placed some in leadership over others. In other ecclesial matters I find that Catholics often have a higher (and better) view of the Church as the only sure way of connecting with Christ in this life. Often too many Protestants (and I am not suggesting that this is you) think all they need is their Bible and that the Church is optional.
There are a few Catholic teachings with which I do not fully agree and this is why I consider myself a catholic with a lowercase c and not a capital c. But I am still very concerned about the catholicity of my own faith and of the Christian faith in general, for “I believe… in the holy catholic church” and “the communion of saints.” I hope that this helps you better understand where I am coming from. I also hope that any further discussion we have on these matters can be in person and be civil. But I suspect that if we agree to disagree (as much as I hate that saying) it will not be without one or both of us hoping that the other will eventually come around to our own point of view.
Shalom,
Wayne
Posted by Alex on December 31, 2006 at 5:15 am
I suppose this discussion is just a wee bit too big for the comments section of a blog, eh? *wink-wink*
Posted by christian on January 11, 2007 at 4:50 am
Wayne. I love tacos but wonder what God-tacos have to do with the subject. Sorry to lower the discussion to an elementary level, but they really are good and a good way to remember tha mary was a God Bearer and maker of good tokos.