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# The first papal homily of 2022 took as its theme the humility of the newborn Jesus and his trust in his Blessed Mother, given the poverty and uncertainty in which he was born, and urged us to fill our hearts with love rather than fear
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/temoi-pervoi-v-2022-godu-papskoi-propovedi-stalo-smirenie-novorozhdennogo-iisusa-ego-doverie-svoei-blagoslovennoi-materi-uchityvaia-bednost-i-neopredelennost-v-kotorykh-on-rodilsia-napo/
- Published: 2022-01-02T10:50:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:39:41.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Faith, Observations, Society, Rome

Thus does God come: without so much as a cradle! With what feeling must Mary, knowing that she would bear a son who would be called the Son of the Most High and who was destined for the throne of his forefather David, lay her child, the infant Saviour, in a manger in a dark stable? And in leaving him before our eyes, she conveys a wondrous message: God is near, within our reach.

He comes not with the might of one who wishes to be feared, but with the frailty of one who asks to be loved. He does not judge us from a throne on high, but looks up at us from below, as a brother, or rather as a son. He was born weak and in want, so that no one should ever again be ashamed. This is precisely what makes the Virgin Mary our example and our champion amid the uncertainties and fears that await us in the coming year.

The new year begins with God lying in a manger, instilling courage in us. We live in uncertain and difficult times: the pandemic, social problems, environmental dangers, injustice and global economic difficulties.

And so, finally, looking at Mary with her son in her arms, says Francis, I think of young mothers and their children fleeing wars and hunger or waiting in refugee camps. There are so many of them! And as we contemplate Mary placing Jesus in the manger, making him accessible to all, let us remember that the life of each of us can become better only if we make ourselves accessible to others, without waiting for them to make the first move. I am sure that the entire speech was contrived solely for the sake of this passage about refugees and tolerance towards migrants.

Peace is built on attention to the smallest things, the Pope reminds us, on the promotion of justice, on the courage to forgive, quenching the fire of hatred. And what is needed besides is a positive outlook, one that sees in the Church and in society not the evil that divides us but the good that unites us! To fall into depression or to complain is useless, is that understood? We must roll up our sleeves.

In a world still gripped by the pandemic, which has created untold problems, “some people try to flee from reality, taking refuge in their own little world; others react to it with destructive violence. Yet between selfish indifference and violent protest there is always another possible option: dialogue.”

Such, more or less, was the speech delivered by Francis I. I report this in case anyone had supposed that the Pope does not consider himself a political leader.