BETHLEHEM, DEC. 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is affirming that God’s humility, manifested in the Christ Child, is a cure for humanity’s pride.
Archbishop Fouad Twal stated this in his homily during Midnight Mass in Bethlehem Thursday evening.
“The birth of Jesus today requires a radical change in the lives of human beings,” he said.
The prelate affirmed that “our hearts often prefer to limit themselves to loving those nearest to us: the love of parents towards their children and coreligionists among themselves.”
“This particular love,” he said, “is called to grow wider to the very dimensions of the word, because the measure of love should be to love without measure.”
The archbishop continued, “Peace and non-violence should replace hatred, war and violence; spirit should prevail over matter; openness to others, hospitality and availability towards them should break down the walls of separation and isolation, to proclaim ‘Glory to God in the highest heavens’ and achieve ‘peace on earth to men of goodwill.'”
Poorest of the poor
“The humility of the Word of God become flesh is for us a constant exhortation and a cure for pride,” he stated. “His modest birth is an example for us.”
Achbishop Twal stated, “If God became as the poorest of the poor and needy among the needy, can there then be any other way forward in our journey toward eternal happiness, than overcoming our pride and practicing the humility and simplicity” of Christ.
He continued: “The financial problems affecting the world today stem from the fact that the world has forgotten the poor.
“Christmas has always been a cry that has disturbed the conscience of the materialistic world, which rests on its first principles of competitiveness and an unbridled race to enrichment at the expense of the poor.”
“When men refuse to share worldly goods in a spirit of solidarity, money becomes an idol; and then they must pay for their separation from God,” the prelate pointed out.
He added, “Following the recent downturn in the global economy and the crisis of unemployment, it is time that the world accept the primacy of the values of moderation and sharing.”
The archbishop affirmed that “these values alone are able to revive the global economy.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: http://zenit.org/article-27953?l=english
