HOMILIES, ANGELUS, AND OTHER SPIRITUAL TEXTS

ANGELUS OF 12/14/08





Here is a translation of the Holy Father's words today:


Dear brothers and sisters,

This Sunday, the third in Advent, is called Gaudete Sunday, from the opening word, "Gaudete" - Rejoice! - in the entry antiphon of today's Holy Mass.

It is taken from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians, where he writes: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" (Phil 4,4). Immediately afterwards, he says why: "The Lord is near" (Phil 4,5).

That is the reason for joy. But what does it mean - "The Lord is near"? In what sense should we understand this 'nearness' of God?

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Philippi, was evidently thinking about the return of Christ, and invites them to rejoice because that is a certainty.

Nonetheless, St. Paul himself, in his Letter to the Thessalonians, points out that no one can know the moment of the Lord's coming (cfr 1 Ts 5,1-2), and warns against every alarmism, as though the return of Christ were imminent (cfr 2 Ts 2,1-2).

And so, even at that time, the Church, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, understood quite well that the 'nearness' of God is not a question of space or time, but rather a question of love: love brings closeness.

The Nativity of Christ reminds us of this fundamental truth of our faith, and before the Christmas manger, we can taste Christian joy, contemplating in the newborn Jesus the face of God who made himself be among us out of love.

In this light, it is a true pleasure for me to renew the beautiful tradition of blessing the Bambinelli, the statuettes of the Baby Jesus to lay in the manger.

I particularly address myself to you, dear boys and girls of Rome, who have come this morning with your Bambinelli, which I will now bless.

I invite you to join me by following this prayer attentively:

---

God, our Father,
you so loved men
that you sent us your only Son Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.

We pray to you, that with your blessing,
these images of Jesus,
who is about to come among us,
may be, in our homes,
the sign of your presence and your love.

Good Father,
give your blessing to us, as well,
to our parents, to our families, to our friends.

Open our heart,
so that we may receive Jesus in joy,
do always what he asks of us
and see him in all those
who have need of our love.

We ask this of you in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son who comes
to bring peace to the world.

He lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

---

And now, let us recite together the Angelus Domini, invoking the intercession of Mary so that Jesus, who in being born, brings men the blessing of God, may be received with love in all the homes of Rome and around the world.

After the Angelus, he said:

Today, in the Diocese of Rome, we celebrate the day for the construction of new churches. In recent years, some new parochial complexes have been completed, but there are still communities which continue to avail only of provisional and inadequate structures.

I thank from the heart all those who have supported this commitment which is so important to the Diocese and I renew the invitation to everyone: let us help the parishes of Rome to build their Church.


In English, he said:

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for today’s Angelus prayer. On this Third Sunday of Advent we are called to rejoice because the Lord is near. As we renew our hope in Jesus and look forward to his coming, may we experience in our lives the deep joy of his salvation. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome, and a blessed Sunday!