I

Pctu/ XL

CHRISTMAi

MESSAGE



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/1964christmasmespaul



December 22, 1964

Unfailingly tender and moving, touchingly human and at the
same time sacred and mysterious, the feast of Christmas, followed

by the beginning of the new year, brings to our heart even more

than to our lips an overwhelming abundance of best wishes to all

of you who are so kind as to listen to our voice.

We extend these best wishes to you, our dearest children and

brethren, whom the same faith and the same charity bind to us in

united joy, enabling us to sense the tidal wave of emotion and of

contemplation with which the heart is flooded as it reflects on the

mystery of Christmas. We express our best wishes also to all men

of all ages, of all countries, of all beliefs, toward whom today more

than ever we feel we owe our esteem, our affection, and our united

efforts.

In a genuine sense Christmas makes us experience the very

essence of our universal responsibility of announcing the Good

News to all men, the Good News which reveals to men their poten-

tial for happiness, for peace, and for salvation. For this reason, on

this day more than on any other, we feel ourselves not merely

anxious but even obliged to communicate to the world our message

of good wishes.

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This year the message that we address to all our hearers is

one of brotherhood, a brotherhood which is more meaningful, more

effective, more universal than the type which now unites men.

Vividly impressed on our heart is the recollection of our

recent trip to Bombay, a trip directed by a religious purpose, as is

obvious, but at the same time a trip which has become for us some-

thing of inestimable human value. We went forth as a foreigner

and a pilgrim into a distant land unknown to us. We could have

remained as an isolated foreigner, surrounded only by our brothers

in the faith. Instead we met people, a festive, overflowing throng

which seemed to us to represent not only the countless peoples of

vast India, but also all the other Asian peoples. To be sure, they

were not Catholic, but they were courteous, receptive, eager for a

glance and a word from the strange visitor from Rome. It was in-

deed a moment of understanding and blending of many hearts.

What it is that these rejoicing crowds saw in us, we do not

know. In them we saw a most worthy segment of humanity, one

faithful to its millenary cultural traditions, not all Christian, to be

sure, but profoundly spiritual and in many respects humane and

good, at once most ancient and youthful, today alive to and turned

toward something which even the marvels of modern progress can-

not provide, if they are not perhaps actually an obstacle.

Then a feeling of profound understanding brought us a con-

firmation of what Christianity has been saying for centuries, and

which the evolution of civilization has been slowly and gradually

discovering and proclaiming: All men are brothers.

Contacts among men are becoming so numerous and so con-

venient that they should lead to love. Distances are so reduced and

almost abolished that love should become universal. The idea of

neighbor, which the parable of the Good Samaritan extends be-

yond conventional limits, embraces the whole of humanity: Every

man is our neighbor.

On the one side, the evidence of men’s needs becomes so

manifest and deplorable, and on the other, the possibility of re-

lieving them increases daily so abundantly, that it becomes clear

toward which goal today the progress of civilization should tend:

the mobilization of these forces for solidarity among men, so that

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no one will lack for bread and dignity, so that all men will make

of the common good their major preoccupation.

Human progress has been discovering the importance and the

value of that which Christ, having become man like us and our

teacher, had already taught us in these words of His Gospel, which

have never been fully comprehended and not yet universally put

into practice: “You are all brethren”;
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that is, equals, united

among yourselves, having an obligation to acknowledge the image

of the same Heavenly Father reflected in each of you, and to work

together to achieve the same destinies: full human perfection and

divine sonship through grace in this life, and eternal happiness in

the next.

Today brotherhood must be given recognition; friendship is

the principle of all of today’s living in common. Instead of seeing

in the other the outsider, the rival, the undesired, the adversary,

the enemy, we should accustom ourselves to seeing the man, which

is to say, a being like ourselves, worthy of respect, of esteem, of

assistance, of love, as we ourselves are. May these marvelous

words of the holy African doctor echo in our hearts: “Dilatentur

spatia caritatis” [May the boundaries of love grow wider] . 2

The barriers raised by the spirit of selfishness must come

down; the promotion of legitimate private interests must never

prove detrimental to others or run counter to the reasonable claims

of public welfare.

Democracy, to which all mankind today appeals, must take

on a more universal aspect, which will transcend all the obstacles

that stand in the way of the effective brotherhood of all men.

We know that these ideas find today a ready response in the
hearts of men. We feel that the young are particularly conscious
that these are the fruits of the future, because rooted in the irre-

versible progress of civilization. These ideals are lofty without,

however, being utopian; though arduous, they deserve study and

call for action. They have our support; just as the young have our

support who yearn to create a world which will be a home for all

men and not a system of trenches at the service of undying hatred

and never-ending struggle.

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But we are also aware how transient these lofty ideas can too

easily be. At different moments of history they appear as if rising

brightly in the heavens, only to be suddenly obscured by opposing

clouds. The path toward genuine progress can never be free from

toil and uncertainty. Mankind, by its stubborn resistance, knows

how to divert the continuing quest for good. Men are inconstant.

The pursuit of hatred comes more easily than love.

Because of this, we desire to place at the service of the world

the inexhaustible and ever timely patrimony of divine and human

truth and of spiritual energy inherent in Catholicism, thereby to

sustain the efforts of men of good will to promote the common

good, to bring about universal peace and the brotherhood of all

men. Ours is a sincere offer. In the Ecumenical Council the Church

is engaged in meditating on these riches; she is drawing them out

of a heart filled with a new love, a love which Christ has enkindled

in the world. In a humble, friendly gesture, she offers these riches

for the free acceptance of the modern world, which cannot, how-

ever, refuse them if it is really concerned about its own salvation.

We are not unaware of the obstacles which continue to stand

in the way of human brotherhood, and it is with sorrow that we

observe that at the present moment we are passing through a period

in which they appear more clearly in evidence, and prove them-

selves at times to be dangerously effective. In the presence of the

charming sweetness of Christmas it is not possible to enter into a

detailed discussion of these obstacles which show the dramatic and

frightful aspect of the contemporary world situation. In a message,

however, of essential sincerity like the present one, it would not be

proper to pass over in complete silence this threatening reality.

Let us then briefly point out some concrete forms from among

so many existing and possible ones, in which the opposition to

human brotherhood manifests itself. We just mention them by way

of example, as it were.

First of all there is nationalism, which divides peoples, putting

them in opposition to one another, raising up among them barriers

of conflicting ideologies that produce closed outlooks, exclusive

interests and self-sufficient ambitions, if not greedy and overbear-

ing forms of imperialism. This enemy of human brotherhood is

today gaining strength. It had appeared to have been at least

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virtually overcome after the tragic experience of the last World

War. It is rising anew.

We appeal to governments and peoples to be watchful and to

moderate this facile instinct of prestige and rivalry, or it can once

again prove fatal. We make it our wish that the functions of the

organizations set up for uniting the nations may be sustained and

respected by all in the spirit of loyal and reciprocal collaboration.

Patient negotiations and opportune pacts are needed to avoid war

and to prevent clashes, to facilitate the growth of the awareness

and expression of international law and, briefly, to give to peace

its lasting security and dynamic equilibrium.

Another obstacle that raises its head again is racism, which

separates and opposes the different branches constituting the great

human family, resulting in pride, mistrust, exclusivism, discrimi-

nation and sometimes even oppression, thus ruining the mutual

respect and due esteem which ought to turn the diverse ethnical

groups into a peaceful concert of brotherly peoples.

And so, we cannot help being alarmed at a militarism no

longer focused on the legitimate defense of the countries concerned

or on the maintenance of world peace, but tending rather to build

up stockpiles of weapons ever more powerful and destructive—

a

process which consumes enormous quantities of money and man-

power, feeds the public mind on the thought of power and war,

and induces men to make mutual fear the treacherous and inhuman

basis of world peace.

In this context, we have no hesitation in expressing our hopes

that the rulers of nations will find a way to promote, prudently and

magnanimously, the process of disarmament. We would like to see
a generous-minded investigation of how—at least in part and by
stages—military expenditure could be diverted to humanitarian
ends; and this, not only to the advantage of the particular countries

concerned, but also of others in the course of development or in a

state of need.

Hunger and misery, sickness and ignorance still cry out for

remedy in this age of plenty and of brotherhood. We do not hesitate
to make our own once more the pleas of the innumerable poor and

suffering today in need of genuine and substantial relief. You,

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good and generous men who are in a position to help the hungry

and the suffering, those in misery and in a state of abandonment,

hear in our voice the divine and human voice of Christ our Brother

in every human need.

Can we, in this tragic list of obstacles to human brotherhood,

ignore the barrier of class, still a very real source of bitterness in

modern society? Can we ignore the spirit of division and strife

over ideas, methods, interests, organizations within the structures

of the various communities? On the one hand, such complex and

widespread social phenomena bring together men who share com-

mon interests. But on the other hand, they create great rifts be-

tween the various groups, making strife itself the center of life, and

stamping our society—so highly developed technologically and
economically—with the tragic and bitter mark of division and
hatred. Men are not happy because they do not live as brothers.

We know well enough the enormous and seemingly insoluble

difficulties which lie across the path of freedom and friendship in

social life. But, for our part, we will never grow tired of urging

love for one’s neighbor as the basic principle of any truly human

society; and we shall go on hoping that sincere reflection and the

experience of life will help men to see where our many social divi-

sions come from, and to search for a pattern of social living that

is ever more authentic and humane.

Also, for this reconstruction of modern society according to

the unsuppressible demands of peaceful living together, for the

restoration of mutual collaboration among various social classes

and various nations, and for the restoration of happiness resulting

from living together, our ancient Gospel, open today to the page of

peace on earth to men of good will, has new living words to offer

to the brotherhood of man.

Listening to our message, some may ask: Is not religion a

motive for the division among men, and especially the Catholic

religion, so dogmatic, so demanding, so discriminating? Does it

not impede an easy conversation and a spontaneous understanding

among people? Oh yes, religion, Catholic no less than any other,

is an element of distinction among men, even as is language, cul-

ture, art and the professions, but it is not of its very nature a

divisive element.

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It is true that Christianity, by the newness of the life which it

brings into the world, can be a motive of division and of contrast

because of that which brings good to humanity; it is a light shining

in darkness, differentiating the various areas. But it is not of the

nature of religion to oppose itself to people. It is in behalf of

people, it stands in defense of all that is sacred and unsuppressible

in them, of their fundamental aspiration to God, and their right to

manifest this externally in a worthy form of worship.

The Church must, however, express publicly her sorrow when

so incoercible a propensity is impeded, hindered, forbidden and

even punished by force of public power, which in this case pre-

sumes to enter a field beyond its competence. Apropos of this

topic, which demands a more full and reasoned reply, we can at

least repeat what the Church today goes on proclaiming: justice

and well-understood religious liberty, which forbids one to shake

the foundation of others’ beliefs when they are not contrary to the

common good, which forbids one to impose a faith not freely ac-

cepted, or to proceed by odious discrimination or undeserved

vexations, promoting respect for whatever is true and good in every

religion and in every human opinion, with the special intention of

promoting civil concord and collaboration in every sort of good

activity. Truth stands fast and charity sheds light on its beneficent

splendor.

This today more than ever is our program, convinced as we

are that the world needs love, needs to break the bonds of selfish-

ness within itself, needs to open out to a sincere, ever increasing,

universal brotherhood.

And it is our wish for you, sincere, good people listening to

us. We make it with joy and hope in the name of Him who is the
“first born among many brethren”, 3 Christ the Lord.

In this wish of ours, our heart opens in a father’s loving em-

brace for mankind the world over, for whose redemption the Divine

Saviour came down to earth. And, in particular, we turn to our

venerable brothers and dear children, those especially who by

reason of the sad restrictions still imposed upon them cannot add

outward signs of happiness and serenity to the feast of Christmas.

Next we turn to priests, to men and women Religious, especially

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our beloved missionaries whose anxieties and difficulties we well

know.

Again, we turn to all Christian families, to the generosity

and promise of youth, the innocence of the little ones, the enthu-

siasm of young people. In our embrace we include all who work,

with their tiring and at times monotonous daily tasks; the sick

and suffering with their burden of pain known to God alone who

understands and rewards all; and we have a very special thought for

the poor of the whole world—their fears and hardships echo deeply
in sorrow in our heart. May the newly born Child bring to them

the comfort of His love and the sweetness of a renewed confidence;

and may He likewise spur all who have the power and the means

—

those most of all who are responsible for the common good—to
unite in a constructive effort, in an effective solidarity, to bring

new means, speedy remedies and suitable plans to bear on the

immense needs of the world’s poor and on their hopes which can-

not continue to be disappointed.

Filled with these thoughts we renew our good wish to you

and with an open heart we give to all of you who are listening and

to the entire family of mankind the comfort of our apostolic bless-

ing as a pledge and reflection of the goodness of the Divine Child

of Bethlehem.

]

Mt. 23, 8.

2
Sermon X, “On the Words of the Lord”.

* Rom. 8, 29.

(Translation courtesy of NCWC News Service)

(Cover: The Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo

Lippi. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.,

Samuel H. Kress Collection).

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