At 9:30 p.m., in the Vatican Basilica, His Holiness Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Night Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, December 24, 2019.
During the Eucharistic Celebration, after the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, the Pope delivered the homily, which we present below:
Pope Francis’s Homily
«The people walking in darkness saw a great light» (Is 9:1). This prophecy from the first reading was fulfilled in the Gospel. Indeed, while the shepherds kept watch at night in their fields, «the glory of the Lord shone around them» (Lk 2:9). On this night, a light from heaven appeared in the darkness. What does this light mean, emerging from the darkness? The apostle Paul suggests it to us, telling us: «The grace of God has appeared». God’s grace, «which brings salvation to all men» (Tt 2:11), has enveloped the world tonight.
But, what is this grace? It is divine love, love that transforms life, renews history, frees from evil, infuses peace and joy. On this night, God’s love has shown itself to us: it is Jesus. In Jesus, the Most High became small to be loved by us. In Jesus, God became a Child, to be embraced by us. But, we can still ask ourselves, why does Saint Paul call the coming of God into the world “grace”? To tell us that it is completely free. While here on earth everything seems to respond to the logic of giving to receive, God comes freely. His love is not negotiable: we have done nothing to deserve it and we can never repay it.
The grace of God has appeared. On this night, we realize that, although we were not up to the task, He made Himself small for us; while we were busy with our affairs, He came among us. Christmas reminds us that God continues to love every man, even the worst. To me, to you, to each of us, He says today: “I love you and I will always love you, you are precious in my eyes.” God does not love you because you think correctly and behave well; He loves you, and that’s enough. His love is unconditional, it does not depend on you. You may have wrong ideas, you may have made your own; nevertheless, the Lord does not stop loving you. How many times do we think that God is good if we are good, and that He punishes us if we are bad? But that is not the case. Even in our sins, He continues to love us. His love does not change, it is not picky; it is faithful, it is patient. This is the gift we find at Christmas: we discover with wonder that the Lord is all possible gratuity, all possible tenderness. His glory does not dazzle us, His presence does not scare us. He was born poor of everything, to conquer us with the richness of His love.
The grace of God has appeared. Grace is synonymous with beauty. On this night, we rediscover in the beauty of God’s love, also our own beauty, because we are loved by God. In good and evil, in health and sickness, happy or sad, in His eyes we see ourselves as beautiful: not for what we do but for what we are. There is in us an indelible, intangible beauty; an irrepressible beauty that is the core of our being. God reminds us of this today, taking our humanity with love and making it His, “betrothing” Himself to it forever.
In fact, the “great joy” announced to the shepherds tonight is “for all the people”. In those shepherds, who certainly were not saints, we are also included, with our flaws and weaknesses. Just as He called them, God also calls us, because He loves us. And, in the nights of life, He says to us as He did to them: «Do not be afraid» (Lk 2:10). Cheer up, do not lose confidence, do not lose hope, do not think that loving is a waste of time! On this night, love defeated fear, a new hope appeared, the kind light of God overcame the darkness of human arrogance. Humanity, God loves you, He became man for you, you are no longer alone!
Dear brothers and sisters: What to do before this grace? One thing only: welcome the gift. Before seeking God, let us be sought by Him. Let’s not start from our abilities, but from His grace, because He is Jesus, the Savior. Let’s fix our gaze on the Child and let ourselves be enveloped by His tenderness. We will no longer have excuses not to let ourselves be loved by Him: what goes wrong in life, what doesn’t work in the Church, what doesn’t go well in the world will no longer be a justification. It will fade into the background, because in front of Jesus’s excessive love, which is all meekness and closeness, there are no excuses. The question that arises at Christmas is: “Do I let myself be loved by God? Do I surrender to His love that comes to save me?”
Such a great gift deserves much gratitude. Welcoming grace is knowing how to thank. But our lives often go far from gratitude. Today is the right day to approach the tabernacle, the manger, the crib, to give thanks. Let us accept the gift that is Jesus, to then transform ourselves into a gift like Jesus. Becoming a gift means giving meaning to life and is the best way to change the world: we change ourselves, the Church changes, history changes when we begin not to want to change others, but ourselves, making our life a gift.
Jesus shows us this tonight. He did not change history by constraining someone or by force of words, but with the gift of His life. He did not wait for us to be good to love us, but He gave Himself to us freely. Nor can we wait for others to change to do good to them, for the Church to be perfect to love her, for others to consider us to serve them. Let us start ourselves. That is how the gift of grace is received. And holiness is nothing but guarding this gratuity.
A beautiful legend tells that, when Jesus was born, the shepherds ran toward the grotto bringing many gifts. Each one brought what he had: some, the fruit of their labor, others, something of value. But while all the shepherds strived, generously, to bring the best, there was one who had nothing. He was very poor, had nothing to offer. And while others competed to present their gifts, he kept apart, ashamed. At a certain moment, Saint Joseph and the Virgin saw themselves in difficulty to receive all the gifts, especially Mary, who had to hold the Child in her arms. Then, seeing that shepherd with empty hands, they asked him to come closer. And they placed Jesus in his hands. The shepherd, taking Him, realized that he had received what he did not deserve, that he had in his arms the greatest gift in history. He looked at his hands, and those hands that always seemed empty had become the cradle of God. He felt loved and, overcoming shame, began to show Jesus to others, because the gift of gifts could not remain only for himself.
Dear brother, dear sister: If your hands seem empty, if you see your heart poor in love, tonight is for you. The grace of God has appeared to shine in your life. Welcome it and the light of Christmas will shine in you.
