Pope Francis at New Year's Eve Vespers says "Christians...believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice and peace" are "all pilgrims of hope"
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FIRST VESPERS OF THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
AND TE DEUM OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE PAST YEAR
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Basilica of Saint Peter
Tuesday, 31 December 2024
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At the conclusion of the civil year in St. Peter's Pope Francis presided at the recitation of the First Vespers of Mary Most Holy Mother of God and the traditional prayer of thanksgiving. The Pope, admiring the demanding works undertaken in the capital for the Jubilee, hopes they can create an environment open to all pilgrims of hope, without distinction.
"Give us days of peace", resounds the Hymn of introduction of Vespers. The song to the Mother of Jesus fills the crowded basilica. Presiding over the prayer and the Te Deum is the Bishop of Rome, with 36 cardinals, 22 bishops, 40 priests. Among those present in the assembly of the faithful in the front row, at the conclusion of this civil year, the mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri.
This is the hour of thanksgiving, and we have the joy of living it by celebrating the Holy Mother of God. She, who holds the mystery of Jesus in her heart, also teaches us to read the signs of the times in the light of this mystery.
The year that is ending has been a busy year for the city of Rome. Citizens, pilgrims, tourists and all those who were passing through have experienced the typical phase that precedes a Jubilee, with the multiplication of large and small construction sites. This evening is a time for a sapiential reflection, to consider that all this work, in addition to its intrinsic value, has had a meaning that corresponds to Rome’s own vocation, its universal vocation. In the light of the Word of God that we have just heard, this vocation could be expressed thus: Rome is called to welcome everyone so that everyone can recognize themselves as children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves.
Therefore, at this moment we want to raise our thanksgiving to the Lord because he has allowed us to work, and work hard, and above all because he has enabled us to do so with this great sense, with this broad horizon that is the hope of fraternity.
The motto of the Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope,” is rich in meanings, depending on the different possible perspectives, which are like so many “paths” of the pilgrimage. And one of these great paths of hope on which to walk is fraternity: it is the path that I proposed in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti. Yes, the hope of the world lies in fraternity! And it is beautiful to think that our City in recent months has become a construction site for this purpose, with this overall meaning: preparing to welcome men and women from all over the world, Catholics and Christians of other confessions, believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice and peace, all pilgrims of hope and brotherhood.
But we must ask ourselves: does this perspective have a foundation? Is the hope of a fraternal humanity just a rhetorical slogan or does it have a "rocky" base on which to build something stable and lasting?
The Holy Mother of God gives us the answer by showing us Jesus. The hope of a fraternal world is not an ideology, it is not an economic system, it is not technological progress. The hope of a fraternal world is He, the incarnate Son, sent by the Father so that we can all become what we are, that is, children of the Father who is in heaven, and therefore brothers and sisters among ourselves.
And so, while we admire with gratitude the results of the work done in the city - we give thanks for the work of so many, so many men and women who have done it, and we thank the Mayor for this work of moving the city forward -, we become aware of what the decisive construction site is, the construction site that involves each of us: this construction site is the one in which, every day, I will allow God to change in me what is not worthy of a son - change! -, what is not human, and in which I will commit myself, every day, to live as a brother and sister to my neighbor.
May our Holy Mother help us to walk together, as pilgrims of hope, on the path of brotherhood. May the Lord bless us, all of us; may he forgive us our sins and give us the strength to continue on our pilgrimage in the coming year. Thank you.
The year that is ending has been a busy year for the city of Rome. Citizens, pilgrims, tourists and all those who were passing through have experienced the typical phase that precedes a Jubilee, with the multiplication of large and small construction sites. This evening is a time for a sapiential reflection, to consider that all this work, in addition to its intrinsic value, has had a meaning that corresponds to Rome’s own vocation, its universal vocation. In the light of the Word of God that we have just heard, this vocation could be expressed thus: Rome is called to welcome everyone so that everyone can recognize themselves as children of God and brothers and sisters among themselves.
Therefore, at this moment we want to raise our thanksgiving to the Lord because he has allowed us to work, and work hard, and above all because he has enabled us to do so with this great sense, with this broad horizon that is the hope of fraternity.
The motto of the Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope,” is rich in meanings, depending on the different possible perspectives, which are like so many “paths” of the pilgrimage. And one of these great paths of hope on which to walk is fraternity: it is the path that I proposed in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti. Yes, the hope of the world lies in fraternity! And it is beautiful to think that our City in recent months has become a construction site for this purpose, with this overall meaning: preparing to welcome men and women from all over the world, Catholics and Christians of other confessions, believers of every religion, seekers of truth, freedom, justice and peace, all pilgrims of hope and brotherhood.
But we must ask ourselves: does this perspective have a foundation? Is the hope of a fraternal humanity just a rhetorical slogan or does it have a "rocky" base on which to build something stable and lasting?
The Holy Mother of God gives us the answer by showing us Jesus. The hope of a fraternal world is not an ideology, it is not an economic system, it is not technological progress. The hope of a fraternal world is He, the incarnate Son, sent by the Father so that we can all become what we are, that is, children of the Father who is in heaven, and therefore brothers and sisters among ourselves.
And so, while we admire with gratitude the results of the work done in the city - we give thanks for the work of so many, so many men and women who have done it, and we thank the Mayor for this work of moving the city forward -, we become aware of what the decisive construction site is, the construction site that involves each of us: this construction site is the one in which, every day, I will allow God to change in me what is not worthy of a son - change! -, what is not human, and in which I will commit myself, every day, to live as a brother and sister to my neighbor.
May our Holy Mother help us to walk together, as pilgrims of hope, on the path of brotherhood. May the Lord bless us, all of us; may he forgive us our sins and give us the strength to continue on our pilgrimage in the coming year. Thank you.
Translated from Source: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/it/2024/12/31/te-deum.html
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