"Each of us carries out our task and we praise God precisely by doing it well, with dedication."
It is customary for the Successor of Peter to meet with the Curia and the employees of the Vatican to exchange Christmas greetings. This year was, of course, the first chance for Pope Leo to carry out this tradition. And he offered a warm greeting to both groups.
To the Curia, the Pope spoke of the need to be ever more missionary, but he also reflected on the role of friendship, drawing from St. Augustine.
He first noted with a touch of humor the greetings from the Dean of the College, Cardinal Giovanni Re.
Cardinal Re is going to turn 92 in January, but as seen during the events surrounding the conclave, he is still extremely spry.
The Pope thanked him for his words, "always full of enthusiasm," and then noted: "Today, the Psalm tells us that our years are seventy, or eighty for the strongest, so we also celebrate with you!"
He then reflected on mission and communion.
The Curia, too, must be missionary, he said:
We need an ever more missionary Roman Curia, in which institutions, offices and tasks are conceived in light of today’s major ecclesial, pastoral and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration.
Regarding communion, he noted that also within the Church it "always remains a challenge that calls us to conversion."
At times, beneath an apparent calm, forces of division may be at play. We can fall into the temptation of swinging between two opposite extremes: uniformity that fails to value differences, or the exacerbation of differences and viewpoints instead of seeking communion.
Conversion is also needed to be able to be a true friend to those with whom we work.
Amid daily toil, it is a grace to find trustworthy friends, where masks fall away, no one is used or sidelined, genuine support is offered, and each person’s worth and competence are respected, preventing resentment and dissatisfaction. Such relationships call for a personal conversion, so that Christ’s love, which makes us brothers and sisters, may shine through.
Read the full text here.
To the employees of the Vatican and their families, the Pope was especially warm, saying that soon he hopes to be able to meet them all.
He offered a reflection from the Nativity scenes especially popular in Europe, which can include dozens (or hundreds) of figurines. He said that these figures show how doing our work with dedication is a way to give glory to God.
Thus, in addition to the inevitable shepherds, protagonists of the event according to the Gospel, we can find figurines representing different trades: the blacksmith, the innkeeper, the innkeeper's wife, the washerwoman, the knife grinder, and so on. Of course, these are trades of yesteryear: some of them have disappeared or been completely transformed. However, they retain their meaning within the nativity scene. They remind us that all our activities, our daily occupations, acquire their full meaning in God's plan, which has its center in Jesus Christ.
It is as if the Child Jesus, from the manger in which he lies, blesses everything and everyone. His gentle and humble presence spreads God's tenderness everywhere. While Mary and Joseph adore the Child and the shepherds approach in awe, the other characters go about their daily business. They seem oblivious to the central event, but this is not the case: In reality, each one participates as they are, remaining in their place and doing what they must do, their work. I like to think that this can also be true for us in our working days: Each of us carries out our task and we praise God precisely by doing it well, with dedication. Sometimes we are so busy that we do not think about the Lord or the Church, but the very fact of working with dedication, trying to give the best of ourselves, and also — for you, the laity — with love for your family, for your children, gives glory to the Lord.
