A Bud Shall Blossom

His Holiness Pope Francis, on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at the General Audience, urged the faithful to open their hearts to the Good News of the Saviour’s birth.

Pope Francis recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “the Lord himself will give you a sign: the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel” and also “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”

He said that the sense of Christmas transpires in both of these verses: “God fulfills his promise by coming in the flesh, (…) and He gives his people a new hope for humanity: eternal life”.
Christ, by coming in the flesh, has opened the way for us to ascend to the Father.

“When we prepare the Christmas crib in our homes and churches let us be attentive to the message of hope it embodies”.   With our gaze on the nativity scene that takes us to the little town of Bethlehem, the Pope said we can see revealed God’s love for each of us, however small or lowly:

We see it in Mary, who trusted in God’s word: “She is the Mother of Hope”.

Next to Mary is Joseph, the man of hope, who gave Jesus his name, which means “God saves”.  

In the crib we see the joy of the shepherds who represent the humble and the poor who were awaiting the Messiah.  They were the ones, he said, to receive with joy the peace proclaimed by the angels.

“Dear brothers and sisters: every time we say ‘yes’ to Jesus a bud blossoms into hope.  May we trust in this bud of hope” and open our hearts to the Good News of the birth of Jesus who came to save us”.

For more information please visit:  http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-open-your-hearts-to-the-good-news-of-christma

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