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December 25, 2023“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”. These words of the prophet Isaiah come true for us once again this night. Christmas night is filled with a great light. There is a radical contrast between darkness and light. God is light, and in him, there is no darkness. On this night, we celebrate a mystery of tenderness and love; God wanted to come and live into our darkness to bring us his light. This child is the light of the world. This child is the light that shines in the darkness. But as we know, Baby Jesus reaches us in our concrete and real condition.
What is our darkness? If we look around, we notice so much darkness: the war so widespread in the world. In many places, there are conflicts. Many people die due to violence. This year, even the Holy Land is marked by bloody conflicts.
The characteristic of darkness is that reality is hidden, and people's faces cannot be seen. Darkness gives rise to fear and uncertainty. The most violent reactions arise from fear. This is a dynamic that affects not only significant planetary conflicts but also daily relationships. Darkness dwells in our hearts and communities when we isolate ourselves and distrust one another.
But these people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. This light is the extraordinary closeness of God to our life. The closeness of God has a face and a name: Jesus. The night of Christmas shows us the birth of a child as God's response to the darkness of our world.
As we heard in the Gospel about the birth of Jesus, Mary wrapped Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. We are moved by the fact that the son of God is born in poverty. Nobody seems willing to welcome him. There is no room in the hotel. He was born in a manger. Only the shepherds noticed him because they received the angel's announcement. Our task now and every day is to welcome his humble presence.
This is why Saint Francis of Assisi, eight hundred years ago on this night, invented the nativity scene in Greccio. Saint Francis wanted to reproduce and see with his own eyes the humility and hardship that Jesus endured for our love. The first nativity scene in history, made eight hundred years ago in Greccio by Saint Francis, was not made of ceramic statues but of living people. Reliving the night in Bethlehem, those simple people, together with the friars, once again had the experience of the shepherds who, welcoming the angel's announcement, went to the cave to adore Jesus. Baby Jesus was thus born again in their hearts.
Sisters and Brothers, we did well to create the nativity scene in our homes as a sign of our love for Jesus. But do not forget that we must be the shepherds who come to Jesus and worship him. We, our families, and our communities are called to be the living nativity scenes.
The Son of God was born among us as a fragile child who needs everything: the warmth and the tenderness of his Mother Mary, and the blankets to cover him from the cold. He is the prince of Peace and the light of the world. Whoever welcomes this child overcomes the darkness of enmity, the darkness of loneliness and fear, the darkness of isolation and indifference, and welcomes light and peace.
This peace is not just for us but for everyone. Saint Paul told us God's grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race. God's grace was shown to everyone. God did not reveal himself to philosophers or the wise people of this world but simply to everyone. In this way, salvation is offered to all.
I invite you to consider this gift among us, in our Church made up of people who are so different from each other in culture, nationality, rite, and language. But before baby Jesus, we are all equal. We are all called to salvation. For this reason, by welcoming baby Jesus, we become brothers and sisters among ourselves. No one should feel like a stranger in the Church. No one should feel superior or inferior to others. Let us welcome each other. May the birth of Jesus be a time of rebirth for us.
I conclude with the words of Pope Francis: To us, a son is given. Jesus, you are the Child who makes me a child. You love me as I am, not as I imagine myself to be; this I know! In embracing you, the Child of the manger, I embrace my life again. In welcoming you, the Bread of life, I too desire to give my life. You, my Savior, teach me to serve. You who did not leave me alone, help me to comfort your brothers and sisters, for you know that, from this night forward, all are my brothers and sisters.
