Originally published at National Catholic Register
Hope lives, Francis reminded the faithful on Christmas Eve, as he spoke of the blessed arrival of the Christ Child and the start of the Jubilee.
Hope lives, Pope Francis said in his homily for Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican, as he reflected on the incredible fact that the infinite God became a small child.
“God is Emmanuel, he is God-with-us,” the Pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24. “The infinitely great has become small; the divine light has shone through the darkness of the world; the glory of heaven has appeared on earth. And how? In the littleness of a Child. And if God comes, even when our hearts resemble a poor manger, then we can say: Hope is not dead, hope is alive, and it envelops our lives forever.”
The 88-year-old Pope Francis presided over Mass during the night for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord after opening the Holy Door of the basilica to officially start the 2025 Jubilee Year.
With the opening of the Holy Door, the Pontiff said, “Each of us can enter into the mystery of this proclamation of grace.”
“This is the night when the door of
