Catechesis of the Holy Father Leo XIV in the General Audience
 

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

We are gathering for this moment of reflection on the last day of the calendar year, close to the end of the Jubilee and at the heart of Christmas time.

The past year has certainly been marked by important events: some of them joyful, such as the pilgrimage of so many of the faithful on the occasion of the Holy Year; others painful, such as the passing of the late Pope Francis, and the scenarios of war that continue to convulse the planet. At its end, the Church invites us to place everything before the Lord, entrusting ourselves to his Providence, and asking him to renew, in us and around us, in the coming days, the wonders of his grace and mercy.

It is in this dynamic that the tradition of the solemn singing of the Te Deum, with which we will thank the Lord this evening for the blessings we have received, finds its place. We will sing, “You are God: we praise you”, “In you, Lord, is our hope”, “Have mercy on us”. In this regard, Pope Francis observed that while “worldly gratitude, worldly hope are evident … they are focused on the self, on its interests … Instead, in this Liturgy … one breathes an entirely different atmosphere: one of praise, of wonder, of gratitude” (Homily of First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, 31 December 2023).

And it is with these attitudes that today we are called upon to reflect on what the Lord has done for us over the past year, as well as to examine our consciences honestly, to evaluate our response to his gifts and to ask forgiveness for all the times we have failed to treasure his inspirations and invest the talents he has entrusted to us in the best possible way (cf. Mt 25:14-30).

This leads us to reflect on another great sign that has accompanied us in recent months: that of the “journey” and the “destination”. This year, countless pilgrims have come from all over the world to pray at the Tomb of Peter and to confirm their adherence to Christ. This reminds us that our whole life is a journey, whose final destination transcends space and time, to be fulfilled in the encounter with God and in full and eternal communion with Him (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1024). We will also ask for this in the Te Deum prayer, when we say: “Bring us with your saints to glory everlasting”. It is no coincidence that Saint Paul VI defined the Jubilee as a great act of faith in “anticipation of future destinies ... which we already foretaste and ... prepare for” (General Audience, 17 December 1975).

And in this eschatological light of the encounter between the finite and the infinite, a third sign can be seen: the passage through the Holy Door, which so many of us have made, praying and imploring forgiveness for ourselves and our loved ones. It expresses our “yes” to God, who with his forgiveness invites us to cross the threshold of a new life, animated by grace, modelled on the Gospel, inflamed by “love for that neighbour, in whose definition ... every man is included ... in need of understanding, help, comfort, sacrifice, even if personally unknown to us, even if bothersome and hostile, but endowed with the incomparable dignity of a brother” (Saint Paul VI, Homily on the occasion of the closing of the Holy Year, 25 December 1975; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1826-1827). It is our “yes” to a life lived with commitment in the present and oriented towards eternity.

Dear friends, we meditate on these signs in the light of Christmas. Saint Leo the Great, in this regard, saw the feast of the Birth of Jesus as the proclamation of a joy that is for everyone: “Let the saint rejoice”, he exclaimed, “because he is approaching his reward; let the sinner rejoice, because he is offered forgiveness; let the pagan take courage, because he is called to life” (First Discourse on the Nativity of the Lord, 1).

His invitation is addressed today to all of us, holy by Baptism, because God has become our companion on the journey towards true Life; to us sinners, because, forgiven, with his grace we can stand up and set off again; and finally, to us, poor and fragile, because the Lord, making our weakness his own, has redeemed it and shown us the beauty and strength of his perfect humanity (cf. Jn 1:14).

Therefore, I would like to conclude by remembering the words with which Saint Paul VI, at the end of the Jubilee of 1975, described its fundamental message. It is contained, he said, in one word: “love”. And he added, “God is Love! This is the ineffable revelation with which the Jubilee, through its teaching, its indulgence, its forgiveness and finally its peace, full of tears and joy, has sought to fill our spirit today and our lives tomorrow: God is Love! God loves me! God awaited me, and I have found him! God is mercy! God is forgiveness! God is salvation! God, yes, God is life!” (General Audience, 17 December 1975). May these thoughts accompany us in the passage from the old to the new year, and then always, in our lives.

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Special greetings:

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from Australia, China, Palestine, the Philippines and the United States of America. As we prepare for tomorrow’s celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, let us entrust the coming year to her maternal intercession. To all of you and your families, I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed Christmas season and a new year filled with joy and peace. God bless you all!

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Summary of the Holy Father's words:

Dear brothers and sisters,

In the scripture passage we have listened to, Saint Paul reminds us that God is able to accomplish far more than we can ever ask or imagine. This evening, trusting in this power and love, we will sing the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the many gifts we have received from God throughout the year. We are also invited to reflect on how we, in turn, have responded, and to ask for God’s mercy, like the many pilgrims who have passed through the Holy Door in search of forgiveness. This Jubilee Year has been a strong reminder that life itself is a journey towards encounter and communion with God, who has become our companion by sharing in our humanity. During this Christmas season, let us open our hearts to the love of God made visible in the Child born in Bethlehem, and so come to share in the joy of salvation.