Pope at Angelus: let us not be
distracted, make room for the joy of Jesus
On the third Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis invites the
faithful not to be distracted by external things, but to make room for Jesus
who wants “to give us his joy”.
By Vatican News
Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer, Pope Francis
said the liturgy on this third Sunday of Advent invites us to be joyful, but to
be aware “that existence also includes moments of doubt”. “Joy and doubt are
both experiences that are part of our lives”.
Conversion and salvation
Taking his cue from the readings of the day, the Pope noted
that just like the Prophet Isaiah, men and women are called to look beyond
doubts and discouragements because God’s salvation “envelops the whole person
and regenerates him.”
Pope Francis went on to say that we are called to
conversion, which is the basis of the preaching of both St. John the Baptist
and Jesus. "Just like John, emphasized the Pontiff, we too are called to
recognize the face that God has chosen to assume in Jesus Christ, humble and
merciful".
Advent a time of grace
The season of Advent, said the Pope, “is a time of grace,
which tells us that it is not enough to believe in God: it is necessary to
purify our faith every day. He continued, “it is a matter of preparing
ourselves to welcome not a fairy-tale character, but the God who challenges us,
involves us and before whom a choice is imposed. Quoting from his recent
Apostolic Letter on the Nativity Scene, Pope Francis said, “the Child who lies
in the manger has the face of our brothers and sisters most in need, of the
poor who ‘are the privileged ones of this mystery and, often, those who are
most able to recognize the presence of God in our midst’”.
“As we approach Christmas”, exhorted the Pope, “may the
Virgin Mary help us so that, we do not allow ourselves to be distracted by
external things, but make room in our hearts for the One who has already come
and wants to come again to heal our illnesses and to give us his joy.
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