Pope Francis: Christmas is not just a dinner

In an audience with children and young people of the Italian Catholic Action, Pope Francis recalled that Christmas is not just a dinner, but it is a holiday that is “at the root of our faith.”

Taking as a reference the mission of the apostles as “fishers of men,” the Holy Father specified that the Lord “does not want to capture anyone,” but rather respects our freedom.

Thus, he offers us “his love and his salvation, without expecting anything in return and without excluding anyone” and spreading “the joy and wonder of his love,” he continued.

When addressing the little ones, the Pontiff specified that “boring people” are those who do not know how to marvel and who “have lost the capacity for wonder.”

For this reason, a few days before Christmas, he invited them to stop in front of a manger and reflect on “the amazed faces” of the Magi and shepherds: “How much amazement there is there!” he exclaimed.

However, Pope Francis pointed out that this “does not apply only to Christmas: Our entire life, in fact, is an extraordinary gift: each one of us is unique and each day is special, as Blessed Carlo Acutis said.”

“Do you know him? Do you know that he will soon be holy? It’s wonderful! He said: we must be ‘originals’, not ‘photocopies’. How many people do not have the ability to be original! “They are photocopies!” lamented Pope Francis.

In this context, he invited them to learn to marvel and not lose the capacity for wonder. “Let us learn to never take anything for granted, especially love: that of God and that of the people we meet.”

“Let us infect everything and everyone with our wonder: from house to house, from parish to parish, from city to city, from nation to nation. “This is how we spread happiness, confidence and comfort,” he added.

He then stressed that Christmas “is good news,” not only for “making dinner and nothing else,” but also for contemplating the manger or going to church: “It is a holiday that is at the root of our faith.” ”.

He also invited them to care for children in need and to be close “in prayer and charity, to those who suffer, to so many children like you who suffer from hunger, war and disease,” especially the children of Ukraine “who have forgotten how to smile.” .