At the morning Mass on December 10, 2018, in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, Pope Francis encouraged Christians to prepare to celebrate Christmas with faith, not in a worldly or pagan way.
«Faith … touches the heart of the Lord,» he said in his homily reported by Vatican News «Seeing their faith,» says the Gospel, «Jesus saw this faith – because it takes courage, to make a hole in the roof and bring down a stretcher with the patient … it takes courage – … These people had faith! They knew that if the sick man came to Jesus, he would be healed. »
Jesus «admires the faith of people», and «he rebukes people of little faith,» continued the Pope: «With faith, everything is possible.»
And observe: «Christmas is often celebrated with little faith, it is celebrated worldly, or pagan; but the Lord is asking us to do it in faith, and this week we must ask this grace: to be able to celebrate it with faith. It is not easy to protect the faith, it is not easy to defend the faith: it is not easy. »
«It will be good for us today, and tomorrow also, during the week, to take this chapter IX of John and read this beautiful story, of this young man born blind,» concluded the pope, who advised end the reading with an act of faith: «I believe, Lord. Help my little faith. Defend my faith from worldliness, superstitions, things that are not of faith. Defend it from reduction to theories, whether theologizing or moralizing … no. Faith in you, Lord. «
