Christ’s Christmas is to be lived in our heart;
Love blossoms from Spirit to spirit
Gospel: John, Chap 1, verses 1-18
December 25, 2020
Solemn Feast of Christmas of Baby Jesus
Homily of the Pontiff Samuel
(Draft)
The true Light has come again into the world (Jn 1:9)! Peace and love to you all who have welcomed it and have clothed yourselves by this Light (Jn 12:36), wanting to be reborn from Above (Jn 3:3), thus leaving what is old so to be clothed with the newness which is Christ (Mt 9:16-17), the Light of the world (Jn 8:12).
Here is the feast of God’s sons. Here is the feast of those who want to be “sons” and consciously want to live this sonship in Christ Jesus (Rm 8:14). Whoever loves Jesus, whoever recognizes the Child Jesus as the Son of God, is a “son” of the Father (Jn 1:12).
Blessed are you who have recognized and followed the Star (2Pt 1:19), and have come to the Grotto, the last Grotto where to contemplate the Saviour. Blessed are you who have unclothed yourselves of all what is worldly and of what is past, in order to be able to recognize the Child Jesus as the Son of the Father, Christ the Lord, whom the Father has given again to this humanity (Mk 10: 28-30), so that the darkness that envelops this humanity may again give way to the Light, to the Light and the sons of the Light (Jn 12:35b-36a).
Those who clothe themselves with Christ the Light will shine and will manifest the Light to all those who will want to receive the Light (Jn 3:21), will want to live the Light and will want to clothe themselves by the Light, so to be able to overcome the darkness and that coldness that so many now feel again (1Jn 1:7), above all in these hard and difficult times. There will no cold, no frost for the sons of God, who are warmed by the Flame that burns in the Father’s Heart (Ex 3:2; 24:17). That Good and Holy Father who, in his infinite mercy, has bent down upon this arid and lost humanity to give again a part of his Heart to illuminate the path of His sons: Christ, Light of the world (1Jn 2:8).
«He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him. He came to his own and his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself» (Jn 1:10-13). In this Land of Love, God regenerates his sons, bringing them to new life in the Spirit (Jn 3:5), so that these sons may carry the sign of his Light in their hearts (Lk 2:12).
«The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth» (Jn 1:14). Here is the Grace and the Truth that accompany the journey of the Son and of the sons (Wis 3:9).
Today we want to give joy to the Heart of the Son, we want to warm the Heart of our Jesus, so that Jesus may find in this House that warmth that He felt more than two thousand years ago, when He was born in that humble but precious Grotto of Bethlehem (Lk 2:7). Here is this “second and last Grotto”, as Jesus says, given to this humanity. “There will never be another one ever again”. And this Grotto shines and will shine by the Light.
Brothers and sisters, today is a day of Feast! Today we want to celebrate and rejoice for all those who have embraced the Light that has come into the world (Acts 1:9-11); we want to give joy to all those who are faithful to the Son of God, despite every adversity, and want to remain faithful to the Son of God and live for the Son of God.
Behold the joy of Christ’s Christmas! Behold the joy of all the sons of Christ! Here is this House, House of Light, House of Life (Jn 1:4), the place where Jesus has come down again to give life back to all his sons (Jn 3:15). A Home that is alive, a Home that is strong, a Home that allows all those who are living it, to appreciate the dignity and pride of being sons (Rev 21:3). Not dejected Christians, not disconsolate Christians, not Christians always “caned” and reproached, but Christians who move forward with a high and proud heart, especially when they respect the commandments of the Father (Ex 20: 2-17; Dt 5: 6-21 ), when they respect the commandment of Love (Mt 22:36-40; Mk 12:28-31) taught to us by Jesus, our brother and friend, they are not to bow their heads. Be humble, yes, but joyful and full of love, and keep going forward with your head held high through the ways of this world (Rm 12:12; 2 Cor 13:11; 1Th 5:16), wanting to bring this dignity and this kingship (1Pt 2: 9) to all those who have lost the way in this world, to all those who have lost the enthusiasm to live, to all those who have lost the will to live and wearily try to survive.
This is my prayer and my particular thought on this holy Christmas day, for all the people who are alone and abandoned, physically and spiritually; for all those who are ill and imprisoned, physically and spiritually; for all those who have endured violence and have been abused, physically and spiritually; and for all those who have lost the enthusiasm to live their life, for all those who have died in their spirit, in the waiting to die also in their body. Raise your heads, brothers, today is a day of life (Jn 3:16), today is a day of light (Is 60:1). Christ the Light comes to make everyone return to life, to a true life, to a full life, to the Life (Jn 3:36a; 5:24; 6:40; 17:3) which is Grace and Truth (Jn 1.17). Let yourselves be guided by the Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) who leads you to this Land of Love so to rediscover He who is Life, the One given to us by the Father to give everyone eternal Life (Col 3:4; 1 Jn 2:25; 5:20) in Christ, with Christ and for Christ; in Mary, with Mary and for Mary.
Today is the feast of all those who love the Redeemer (Is 59:20; 63:16b) and of all those who, through the Redeemer, love Her who is the Coredemptrix (Lk 2:34-35): Mary, full of grace (Lk 1:28), She who has been clothed with the power and grace of the Father. And today is the feast of all those who have embodied and want to embody Her virtues, so to be able to love the Child Jesus as She has loved Him.
Here is the feast of those who are already in Heaven and of those who continue their journey on this earth. Here is the feast of Maria Giuseppina, She who perfectly embodied the virtues of Mary Most Holy (Mt 5:3-11), She who became a living Cradle to welcome the Child Jesus, the Light that came into the world, that Light of fire that will be visible again in the heart and in the spirit of those who love God; and it will be visible also for all those of goodwill who are seeking the sign of the Father (Mt 24:30), to be able to understand in these times how to not lose the Way (Heb 10:19-20), how to remain anchored in the one Truth that saves (Jn 17:19) and thus to be found worthy to inherit Eternal Life (Jn 1:4).
Come brothers, come! Follow the Star, just as we did: we followed Mary, the Heavenly Star, and we have not been dissatisfied; we have arrived here, to contemplate Baby Jesus. Do the same, you all: follow Mary, the Star that leads you to contemplate the Saviour (Zep 16-17; Acts 5:31; Phil 3:20), the Child Jesus who has come down here, has been born here to bring his Light to every heart.
The Light will keep shining in the hearts of the sons who want to remain faithful to Him who is Light (Rev 21:23-24); the Light will keep shining for all those who will not get tired of walking every day putting into practice the teachings of Jesus, the Way, Truth and Life (Jn 14:6), the only Saviour of the world (1Tm 4:10); the Light will keep shining in the hearts of all those sons who, in the awareness of their sonship and of the dignity conferred on them by the Father through Christ the Lord (Rm 8:14-15), will live to witness and bring it to everyone.
The Light will be lacking for the workers of iniquity, for those who persist in plotting and working in the darkness, doing what is evil in the Father’s sight (Jn 1:5; Rev 18:23); the Light will be lacking in the heart of those who hate their brother, and of those who raise their hand against their brother (Jn 3:19-20; 1Jn 2:9).
“You shall not kill”, it is written (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17). Woe to those who raise their hand against their brother! And this is even worse if done thinking to act in God’s Name. It’s a great sin! It’s a great suffering to the heart of those who, in order to remain Christian, in order to keep their faith, are even ready to lose their life, in this world, to find it in Heaven (Mt 5:10-11; Lk 6: 22-23). All of you, brothers, are in our hearts: your martyrdom will never be in vain in this Church. Here there is no harlot (Rev 17:3-5) who drinks your blood and despises your martyrdom (Rev 17:6a). Here there is the Woman, the new Woman, Mary, Mother Church, New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2), who holds you close to her Bosom to nourish you with Her milk and honey (Jer 11:5a).
As God’s sons, this is our journey on this earth, and we want to be united with those brothers and sisters who are in Heaven so to live that one only communion that brings us to be in the Light, Christ the Light of all peoples (Lk 2:30-32).
Those who want to live the Light are to come here and to recognize the Shoot who has been sprung from the stock of Jesse [the father of King David] (Is 11:1), so to be able to become, in His image and likeness (Gn 1:26), like leafy trees that don’t fall during the storm and the bad weather but that remain steadfast in faith (Mt 7:25), facing every trial with dignity, in the awareness that this Church has been born to bring the Light, to bring the Truth and nothing else.
The world will see, will understand and will appreciate the sacrifice of those who animate this Church, of all those who are faithful to this Church. The Father will restore dignity to this Little Cradle of Baby Jesus, so that many can set out and come to adore He who has been born (Rev 12:5), He who has been born to lead everyone to be reborn to new life (Rev 20:6). This is the royalty and the Light that Jesus gives us today.
Be joyful, brothers! Leave all anguish; leave all sufferings. All the more reason in this time, where everything all around us seems to be closing: open your heart to Jesus, to give the right centrality to the family, to even more live the family in that holy intimate atmosphere that makes us be in Christ, with Christ and for Christ. Let’s hold ourselves tightly together in that unique love that brings us to appreciate the domestic Church, the family, in that love shared between father, mother, children; husband, wife (Jn 13:35). This is the essence of our call that the Father makes us rediscover in this time. While many are in despair and do not know how to use their time, you instead be united, love each other, in the living and holy prayer (Ps 64:3; 68:14), so to show everybody how the Christian family gathers together in celebrating Christ the Light, in that inner tie which allows everyone to be close to one another, even if being physically distant.
Here is the meaning of the family and here is the sacredness of life: that Life which is born today to make everyone be reborn (Jn 17:3). These are the two fundamental pillars of our Church: the family, the sacredness of the family, on the example of the Holy Family (Lk 2:16): here is the symbol of the nativity scene; and Life, the sacredness of Life, Christ the Life, new Life (1Cor 5:22; Col 3:4): here is the tree, the meaning of the new Tree which is illuminated and gives Life (Rev 2:7; 22:2). Cherish these two symbols: the nativity scene and the tree. Keep them as tradition has given them to us; do not distort their essence, so that no one can twist the original meaning of these two symbols: enshrine them and live them, not as an heirloom but as if they were life. Family and life: the two pillars that sustain this society, which instead would want to bring both the family and life down. This society has unleashed the greatest attack in history against family and life; but this Church will hold firmly these two cornerstones (Rev 12:7); and we will support this society to make it shine and win again, in Christ and Mary.
This is Christmas. Be united in the love of the Child Jesus, be united in the love of Mary so to manifest the Goodness of this House (Ps 25:3), that Goodness which pours out fragrance, flavour and love (Ps 26:13), that love which now, dear faithful and dear brothers, must unite you, and must unite us all and will increasingly unite us to make us be “one for all and all for one” (1Jn 4:16).
On this day and in this particular celebration, I look at you with my heart; and I transmit to you all my love, to make you feel united to my heart, to the heart of these brothers, so that through being united to one another by heart, spirit and soul we may continue to be part in Him who is the living Bread come down from Heaven (Jn 6:51), to warm each others heart and win. For this Church has been born to win. Not a background Church, not a Church among many, but “the” Church willed and instituted by the Father for the triumph of Christ and Mary.
And so be it.
