Pope Francis lauded Jesus' humble beginning as a poor and
vulnerable baby as he celebrated his first Christmas Eve Mass as pontiff
Tuesday in St. Peter's Basilica.
"You are immense, and you made yourself small; you are rich, and you
made yourself poor; you are all-powerful, and you made yourself
vulnerable," Francis said of Jesus as he delivered his homily in the
basilica, packed with faithful.
Francis has dedicated much of his nine-month-old papacy to drawing
attention to the plight of the poor, of children, and of other
vulnerable members of society.
He noted that the first to receive news of Jesus' birth were
shepherds, who in society were considered "among the last, the outcast."
Francis, who turned 77 a week ago, walked briskly up the main aisle
of the basilica for the ceremony, which began Tuesday 2 ½ hours before
midnight. Keeping with the theme of humility he has set for his new
papacy, Francis carried the statue instead of an aide, and kissed a knee
of the figure of the newly born Jesus.
The Argentine-born pope has also encouraged his flock to be a joyful
church, and he called Jesus "the Light Who brightens the darkness."
In the world's history and our own personal history, Francis said,
"there are both bright and dark moments, lights and shadows. " He added
that "if our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride, deceit,
self-seeking, then darkness falls within us and around us."
Francis has applied this same vision to the heart of the Vatican's
own workings, saying in past remarks that there is no place for personal
ambition in the clerical hierarchy. Rather, he has insisted, the
Catholic Church must be one of service to those in need.
Earlier, in the Holy Land, thousands of Christian pilgrims from
around the world packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas
Eve celebrations, bringing warm holiday cheer to the biblical birthplace
of Jesus on a cool, clear night.
The heavy turnout, its highest in years, helped lift spirits in
Bethlehem as leaders expressed hope that the coming year would finally
bring the Palestinians an independent state of their own.
"The message of Christmas is a message of peace, love, and
brotherhood. We have to be brothers with each other," Latin Patriarch
Fouad Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, said as he
arrived in Bethlehem.
At the Vatican, the basilica ceremony is the pope's only public Mass
for Christmas. On Wednesday, Christmas Day, Francis will deliver his
Christmas message, meant for the world, from the basilica's central
balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
