The approaching birth of Jesus, our Savior, and the beginning of a new cycle of catechesis throughout the Jubilee on the theme 'Jesus Christ, our hope', the belen in homes, prayer for peace, closeness to the victims and families of the cyclone-ravaged archipelago of Mayotte, and his recent trip to Corsica, have all marked the Audience of Pope Francis this morning in the Paul VI Hall.
The Paul VI Hall, where the relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and about 900 members of the Catholic Church were present this Wednesday, close to Christmas, together with the Pope and the Pope, was the place where the Pope and the relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus met. Brotherhood Santiago Gómez, in memory of the pilgrimage of St. John Paul II to the Virgin of El Rocío in 1993.
In Corsica, "faith is not a private matter".
On his recent trip to CorsicaI was particularly impressed by the fervor of the people, where faith is not a private matter, and by the number of children present: a great joy and a great hope! A theme, that of the birth rate and children, on which Francis has insisted in a special way in this year 2024.
In his appeal for peace, shortly before giving the Blessing, the Roman Pontiff asked that "let us pray for peace, we cannot let people suffer because of wars, Palestine, Israel, and all those who suffer, Ukraine, Myanmar, let us not forget to pray for peace, for wars to end, let us ask the Prince of Peace to give us this grace, peace in the world, war is always a defeat".
Grandparents and the elderly: not to be alone at Christmas time
In his words to the Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, the Pope underlined another theme that is close to his heart, and which is related to the subject addressed in today's catechesis: "The genealogy of Jesus makes us think of our ancestors, of our grandparents and of the richness of all the elderly. They are a gift from God that we should be grateful for and care for. Let us not let them be alone during the coming Christmas holidays; may Our Lady and St. Joseph protect them!".
The childhood of Jesus
The theme addressed by the Pope this morning was '.The childhood of Jesus - Genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17). The entrance of the Son of God into history'.
This is how the Holy Father summed it up: "Today we begin a new cycle of catechesis for the Jubilee Year, with the theme 'Jesus Christ Our Hope'. In this first part we reflect on the infancy of Jesus, which we find narrated in the first chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. While Luke describes the events from Mary's point of view, Matthew does it from Joseph's perspective, and this is evidenced, above all, by the genealogy".
The figure of Mary: Jesus was born of her
The Gospels of the infancy, the Pope pointed out, recount the virginal conception of Jesus and his birth from Mary's womb; they recall the messianic prophecies fulfilled in him and speak of the legal paternity of Joseph, who grafted the Son of God onto the 'trunk' of the Davidic dynasty".
"In the genealogy presented by Matthew, where both men and women are mentioned, the figure of Mary stands out, marking a new beginning: from her Jesus was borntrue man and true God".
Grateful remembrance of our ancestors
Pope Francis stressed that "unlike the genealogies of the Old Testament, in which only male names appear, because in Israel it is the father who imposes the name on his son, in Matthew's list of Jesus' ancestors women also appear."
"What Matthew emphasizes," he said, "is that, as Benedict XVI has written, 'through them... the world of the Gentiles enters into the genealogy of Jesus: his mission to Jews and pagans is made manifest" (The Infancy of Jesus, Milan-Vatican City 2012, 15)."
In concluding his catechesis, the Pope encouraged us to "awaken in ourselves a grateful memory of our ancestors. And, above all, let us give thanks to God who, through Mother Church, has given us eternal life, the life of Jesus, our hope.
