In his Christmas Eve homily at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis urged the faithful to confront the desolation of war and violence with active compassion and a renewed commitment to justice.
Addressing a world marred by conflict, the pontiff emphasized that the birth of Jesus is a beacon of hope that must inspire action to transform the darkness of suffering into light.
“Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world,” the Pope declared. “God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you! There is hope for each of us. And do not forget, sisters and brothers, that God forgives everything, God always forgives.”
A Message of Hope Amid Suffering
Reflecting on the state of the world, Pope Francis lamented the widespread devastation caused by war, particularly its toll on children and vulnerable populations.
“We think of wars, of children being shot at, bombs on schools and hospitals,” he said. Acknowledging the bleakness of the current global landscape, he called on believers to act with urgency: “Do not delay, do not hesitate, but allow yourselves to be drawn along by the Good News.”
Pope Francis urged Christians to emulate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who responded to the angel’s message with haste and joy.
“With haste, then, let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us,” he said. “Our task: to bring hope into the different situations of life.”
Hope as a Call to Action
The pontiff underscored that Christian hope is not passive but transformative, requiring boldness and compassion.
“Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth, dreamers who never tire, women and men open to being challenged by God’s dream, which is of a new world where peace and justice reign,” he said.
He critiqued the complacency and indifference that allow injustice to persist, reminding the faithful that “hope does not tolerate the indifference of the complacent or the lethargy of those content with their own comforts.”
Instead, he called for an active response to evil and suffering: “Hope is incompatible with the detachment of those who refuse to speak out against evil and the injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor.”
A Jubilee of Transformation
Pope Francis linked the themes of hope and action to the ongoing Jubilee, framing it as a time for spiritual renewal and tangible transformation.
He described it as “a jubilee for our mother Earth, disfigured by profiteering; a time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new.”
In an appeal, he called on believers to sow hope in the most desolate places: “We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted. To bring hope to the interminable, dreary days of prisoners, to the cold and dismal lodgings of the poor, and to all those places desecrated by war and violence.”
A Vision of Hope
The Pope concluded his homily by encouraging the faithful to embrace the transformative power of hope in their daily lives.
“Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the ‘holy door’ of God’s heart lies open before you. Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for me, for us, for every man and woman,” he said. “And remember that with him, joy flourishes; with him, life changes; with him, hope does not disappoint.”
Pope Francis reminded the faithful that the hope embodied by Christ’s birth is a mission to be carried into the world’s darkest corners.
He urged humanity to reject indifference and embrace the challenge of building a world where peace and justice reign.
