Pope Francis' Christmas Greeting "May Jesus be born in your hearts and in your families" and Says Don't Forget the Elderly and Grandparents - FULL TEXT + Video

GREETING OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO

THE VATICAN EMPLOYEES FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Paul VI Audience Hall - Thursday, 23 December 2021

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We thank God who allows us to meet again to wish us a Merry Christmas. I sincerely wish it to you, fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, and to all your loved ones. 

May Jesus be born in your hearts and in your families. And how was Jesus born? In love. There is no other way. A famous sacred song also says it: “Where there is charity and love, there is God”. There God is born, he is born where love becomes concrete, closeness is made, tenderness is made, compassion is made. There is God.

If, for example, in the family there is a grandfather or grandmother who can no longer go out easily, then let's go and see him or her, with the attention that the pandemic requires, but let's go, don't leave them alone. And if we can't go, let's make a phone call and talk for a while. But above all, as soon as possible, let's go there, and stay with him or her for a while. I stop for a while on this one about grandparents, because in this throwaway culture, grandparents reject each other so much. "Yes, they are fine, they are there ...": they do not enter life. I am reminded of something that, as a child, one of my grandmothers told me. There was a family where the grandfather lived with them and the grandfather aged. And then, at lunch or dinner, when he took the soup, he got dirty. And at a certain point, the father said: "We can't live like this, because we can't invite friends, with the grandfather ... I will make sure that the grandfather eats and dines in the kitchen. I'll make him a nice little table ". And so it happened. A week later, he comes home and finds his ten-year-old son playing with wood, nails, hammer ... "What are you doing?" - "A small table, dad" - "But why?" - “For you, for when you are old”. Let us not forget that what we sow our children will do with us. Please don't neglect the grandparents, don't neglect the elderly: they are wisdom. "Yes, but he made my life impossible ...". Forgive, forget, as God will forgive you. But don't forget the elderly, because this throwaway culture always leaves them aside. Excuse me, but it is important to me to talk about grandparents, and I would like everyone to go down this path. A week later, he comes home and finds his ten-year-old son playing with wood, nails, hammer ... "What are you doing?" - "A small table, dad" - "But why?" - “For you, for when you are old”. Let us not forget that what we sow our children will do with us. Please don't neglect the grandparents, don't neglect the elderly: they are wisdom. "Yes, but he made my life impossible ...". Forgive, forget, as God will forgive you. But don't forget the elderly, because this throwaway culture always leaves them aside. Excuse me, but it is important to me to talk about grandparents, and I would like everyone to go down this path. A week later, he comes home and finds his ten-year-old son playing with wood, nails, hammer ... "What are you doing?" - "A small table, dad" - "But why?" - “For you, for when you are old”. Let us not forget that what we sow our children will do with us. Please don't neglect the grandparents, don't neglect the elderly: they are wisdom. "Yes, but he made my life impossible ...". Forgive, forget, as God will forgive you. But don't forget the elderly, because this throwaway culture always leaves them aside. Excuse me, but it is important to me to talk about grandparents, and I would like everyone to go down this path. Let us not forget that what we sow our children will do with us. Please don't neglect the grandparents, don't neglect the elderly: they are wisdom. "Yes, but he made my life impossible ...". Forgive, forget, as God will forgive you. But don't forget the elderly, because this throwaway culture always leaves them aside. Excuse me, but it is important to me to talk about grandparents, and I would like everyone to go down this path. Let us not forget that what we sow our children will do with us. Please don't neglect the grandparents, don't neglect the elderly: they are wisdom. "Yes, but he made my life impossible ...". Forgive, forget, as God will forgive you. But don't forget the elderly, because this throwaway culture always leaves them aside. Excuse me, but it is important to me to talk about grandparents, and I would like everyone to go down this path.

Dear friends, I would like to wish you that Christmas will bring you some serenity, especially if you are experiencing a heavy period, with worries ... Every family has them, but sometimes there are more difficult situations. I pray that those who need it most will receive the gift of serenity, personal and family. The pandemic has caused many problems for families, both economic and psychological. I am thinking of children and adolescents who have been particularly affected by periods of isolation and distance learning. But every age has had its hardships with the pandemic.

And as far as work is concerned, as I told you a year ago, we tried to guarantee employment; we are committed to not leaving anyone without work. Of course, managing the closing period was not easy; I know there was some problem, I know; I hope that satisfactory solutions can be found through dialogue, trying to meet each other, always respecting the rights of workers and the common good.

For this we ask the intercession of St. Joseph: he is "competent" in the field of work! But not only. Indeed, in reality, he is first of all the keeper of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary. And therefore he is also the patron of the Church. As you know, this whole year was dedicated to Saint Joseph: I was very happy with it, and I hope it helped you to feel him closer, more present in your life, in your families. You can entrust to him certain somewhat complicated situations, in which we realize that our strengths are not enough, that there are no solutions at hand. Then you can turn to St. Joseph in prayer. He is one of few words - in the Gospel he never speaks, there are no words of Joseph -, of few words but of many deeds. Try it. A man who listens to God's will and puts it into practice, without hesitation.

And do you know how God revealed his will to him? In his sleep, while he slept. This is a fact told by the Gospels, and it also has a symbolic meaning: it is not just dreams in a psychological sense, but revelations of the divine plan, which he received in his sleep and then, upon awakening, immediately realized. We see him four times: the first, when he has to marry Mary; the second, when Herod threatens the life of Jesus and it is necessary to flee to Egypt; the third, when it's time to return home; and the fourth, when it comes to settling in Nazareth. All these "directions", the Lord gave them to Joseph in a dream, through an angel. But they were not fantasies, hallucinations, on the contrary, they were messages well adhering to reality, destined to guide the journey of the Holy Family.

And on this word, Providence , let us pause for a moment. As the story of Joseph and Mary teaches us, the family is the privileged place in which God's Providence is experienced. Therefore I want to wish you too, each of your families, precisely this: to experience the paternal hand of God who guide our steps along his paths, for the good of the spouses, for the good of the children, for the good of the whole family. God's plans are not always clear; they often manifest themselves over time, they require patience; above all they require faith, so much trust that God only and always wants the good, the greatest good for us and our loved ones. And then we must do as Saint Joseph: abandon ourselves to God - this means sleep - to receive his messages.

I pray for you. You also pray for one another, so that the working community is consolidated, it becomes more united. Thank you for coming to this meeting. I pray to St. Joseph and I pray to Our Lady that they accompany you on your journey, and Jesus, the Savior, fill your hearts and homes with joy and peace. To all of you and your families, I wish you a Merry Christmas. And thank you for all the work you do here: thank you very much!

FULL TEXT Source: Vatican.va - Image Screenshot - Translation from Italian