Leo XIV: May all the world’s children ‘live in peace’
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, after the Angelus, Leo XIV blessed the little Jesus figurines brought by the young people of Rome. The bambinelli will go to homes, schools, and oratories. [A]s you stand before your Nativity scenes, please pray to Jesus for the Pope’s intentions as well,” Leo said. Regarding today's Gospel, he spoke about Joseph as “a fragile and fallible man,” one who “at the same time is courageous and strong in faith.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – St Peter's Square is decked out for Christmas. The illuminated tree stands out among the crowd of faithful gathered to hear Leo XIV's Angelus, including Roman youth who have come for the customary blessing of the child Jesus figurines, the bambinelli.
The pontiff appeared at the window of the Apostolic Palace at noon today, the fourth Sunday of Advent. He dedicated "special" greetings for the children and young people present for the event organised by the Centro Oratori Romani.
"I cordially bless all the ‘bambinelli’,” Leo said after the Marian prayer, which are “all the expressions of our faith in the Child Jesus,” he added off the cuff, looking at the crowd.
“Dear children,” Leo said, “as you stand before your Nativity scenes, please pray to Jesus for the Pope’s intentions as well. In particular, let us pray together that all the world’s children may live in peace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
The pontiff also greeted a group of teachers from Our Lady's College in Hong Kong.
The evangelist Matthew offers today a "very beautiful page in the history of salvation" (Mt 1:18-24). In it, he meditates on the figure of Saint Joseph, presenting the moment when God communicates his mission to him in a dream. The protagonist of today's Gospel passage is a “just man”.
Joseph is “a fragile and fallible man, yet at the same time [he] is courageous and strong in faith,” the pope said before the Angelus, commenting on the Word of the Day. Courage aside, he is also presented as a “keenly sensitive and human."
“We see an example of this even before the Angel reveals to him the mystery that is taking place in Mary. When Joseph is faced with a situation that is difficult to understand and accept, with regard to his future bride, he does not choose the path of scandal and public condemnation, but the discreet and benevolent path of secret repudiation,” the pope said.
“In this way, he shows that he understands the deepest meaning of his own religious observance: the meaning of mercy,” he added.
In Joseph's feelings, there are “purity” and “nobility”, which emerge when God reveals his plan, “to be the spouse of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah.”
“[W]ith a great act of faith, Joseph leaves even the last resort of his security and sets sail towards a future that is now totally in God’s hands,” the pope noted.
The virtues proper to Mary's husband are the following: "Pity and charity, mercy and abandonment”, and can accompany each person "in these final days of Advent, towards Holy Christmas.”
“These are important attitudes that educate the heart to encounter Christ and our brothers and sisters. They can also help us to be, for one another, a welcoming manger, a hospitable home, a sign of God’s presence,” he added.
“[L]et us not waste the opportunity to practice them: forgiving, encouraging, giving a little hope to those with whom we live and those we meet; and renewing in prayer our filial abandonment to the Lord”.
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