Once again, Pope Francis welcomed pilgrims to his General Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall. He remembered the people of Ukraine, asking the faithful to remember them in a particular way this Christmas season.
POPE FRANCIS
Let's lower the level of Christmas spending, as it's called. Let's have a more humble Christmas with more humble gifts. Let's send what we save to the Ukrainian people in need. They suffer so much. They go hungry; they feel the cold. And so many die because there are no doctors or nurses on hand. Let us not forget. A Christmas, yes, at peace with the Lord, yes, but with Ukrainians in our hearts. And let's make that concrete gesture for them.
Pope Francis also greeted young Italian volunteers present for the National Day of Civil Service. He praised their work and dedication to the service of others as a beautiful part of the Italian culture.
POPE FRANCIS
You have a strong, strong sense of volunteering. Keep moving forward with this spirituality of volunteering that makes so many of us help each other. It unites us as well.
The Pope also began the last part of his catechesis on discernment. He emphasized the need to be vigilant against the temptations of overconfidence and a false sense of security.
POPE FRANCIS
If vigilance is lacking, there is a very strong danger, as we said, that all will be lost. This is not a danger of a psychological order, no, but of a spiritual order, a real pitfall of the evil spirit. In fact, he waits for the very moment when we are overconfident. This is dangerous.
At the end of the Audience, Pope Francis spent time praying in front of the Nativity Scene.
KG
