This Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated the traditional midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with “the heart” in Bethlehem, where he declared that “The Prince of Peace is rejected by the losing logic of war, by the roar of arms.”
“Tonight our heart is with Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace continues to be rejected by the losing logic of war, by the roar of weapons that even today prevents him from finding refuge in peace,” the Pope said at the beginning of his homily, thereby recalling the war in Gaza.
The Pope’s remaining homily focused on the moment of the birth of Jesus, which took place during the “census of the whole earth”, which for Francis “reveals, on the one hand, an all-too-human fusion that runs through history: a world that seeks power and strength, fame and glory , where everything is measured by successes and results, numbers and figures.”
“This is an obsession with utility,” the pope told the 6,500 people who packed the basilica, while several thousand were also in the square watching the Mass on screens.
Francis assured that “there is a risk of living Christmas with a pagan idea of God, as if he were a powerful master in heaven; a god who allies himself with power, with worldly success and with the idolatry of consumerism.”
As in previous years, the traditional midnight mass was held at 19:30 local time (18:30 in Lisbon), and due to mobility problems, Francisco remained seated near the altar from where he delivered the homily.
During his homily, the pontiff also rejected “the false image of a distant and irritable god who behaves well with the good and is angry with the bad; a god created in our image, useful only for solving problems and for us, delivering us.” from evil.”
“On the contrary, he does not use a magic wand, he is not a commercial god of everything right now. He does not save us with the press of a button, but approaches to change reality from the inside,” he noted. .
The pope also lamented that among Catholics “there is a worldly idea of a distant, controlling, harsh and powerful God who helps his people to impose himself on others.”
He further stated that to God, “who changed history during the census, you are not a number, but a person; your name is written in his heart.”
And he added: “Love changes history tonight. Make us believe, O Lord, in the power of Your love, so different from the power of the world.”
After the morning Angelus prayer, Jorge Bergoglio will appear again Monday on the central balcony of the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica, the same one where he was elected pope in 2013, to read his Christmas message and promote the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing. (to the city and the world).
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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