{"id":17544,"date":"2016-12-31T17:15:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T17:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/at-close-of-2016-pope-says-selfishness-should-be-a-thing-of-the-past-98356\/"},"modified":"2016-12-31T17:15:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-31T17:15:00","slug":"at-close-of-2016-pope-says-selfishness-should-be-a-thing-of-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/at-close-of-2016-pope-says-selfishness-should-be-a-thing-of-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"At close of 2016, Pope says selfishness should be a thing of the past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Vatican City, Dec 31, 2016 \/ 10:15 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- During a prayer service for the close of 2016, Pope Francis said the arrival of a new year should serve as an opportunity to toss out attitudes of selfishness and exclusion, focusing instead on how to imitate God\u2019s closeness to each person through his incarnation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot allow ourselves to be na\u00efve. We know that we are tempted in various ways to adopt the logic of privilege that separates, excludes and closes us off, while separating, excluding and closing off the dreams and lives of so many of our brothers and sisters,\u201d the Pope said Dec. 31.<\/p>\n

In looking to the infant born in Bethlehem, \u201cwe should acknowledge that we need the Lord to enlighten us, because all too often we end up being narrow-minded or prisoners of all-or-nothing attitude that would force others to conform to our own ideas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need this light, which helps us learn from our mistakes and failed attempts in order to improve and surpass ourselves,\u201d he said, adding that this light comes from the courageous and humble awareness of the people who repeatedly find the strength \u201cto rise up and start anew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Francis spoke to attendees of his annual Dec. 31 Vespers liturgy in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, during which the ancient \u201cTe Deum\u201d hymn is sung to give thanks for the year that is ending. The Eucharist is also exposed for a few minutes of silent adoration at the end of the prayer.<\/p>\n

In his homily, he said that what is \u201cso surprising\u201d about God\u2019s plan for salvation is that he accomplishes this \u201cthrough the smallness and vulnerability of a newborn child.\u201d In Christ, God didn\u2019t take on \u201ca human mask,\u201d but shared completely in our human condition, he said.<\/p>\n

Far from being \u201can idea or an abstract essence,\u201d God wanted to be close, in the flesh, to those who feel lost, hurt, discouraged, afraid, inconsolable, or who feel burdened by loneliness so that sin, despair and exclusion \u201cwould not have the final word.\u201d<\/p>\n

The manger, he said, invites us to adopt this \u201cdivine logic,\u201d which isn\u2019t centered on privilege or favors, but rather on closeness and encounter.
\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0
\nPope Francis then gave thanks to God for his generosity over the past year, which he said is \u201cno sterile nostalgia or empty recollection of an idealized and disembodied past,\u201d but rather \u201ca living memory, one that helps to generate personal and communal creativity because we know that God is with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the manger is a challenge for us \u201cnot to give up on anything or anyone,\u201d adding that to look at the manger scene means finding the strength \u201cto take our place in history without complaining or being resentful, without closing in on ourselves or seeking a means of escape, looking for shortcuts in our own interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking at the Nativity, he said, means recognizing \u201cthat the times ahead call for bold and hope-filled initiatives, as well as the renunciation of vain self-promotion and endless concern with appearances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francis then pointed to the image of the Holy Family, noting the many \u201chopes and aspirations\u201d a young Mary and Joseph must have felt at Jesus\u2019 birth and stressed the need to focus on the \u201cdebt\u201d owed to today\u2019s youth, as well as the genuine concern of all for their place in society.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have created a culture that idolizes youth and seeks to make it eternal. Yet at the same time, paradoxically, we have condemned our young people to have no place in society,\u201d he said, noting that we have \u201cslowly pushed them to the margins of public life, forcing them to migrate or to beg for jobs that no longer exist or fail to promise them a future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of promoting genuine, dignified work allowing youth to actively participate in society, we have demanded that they be \u201ca leaven for the future\u201d but at the same time \u201cdiscriminate against them and condemn them to knock on doors that for the most part remain closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the innkeeper in Bethlehem who told Mary and Joseph there was no room \u201cfor life, for the future,\u201d each person is asked to take at least some responsibility for helping youth to find real possibilities of building a future in their own countries, he said.<\/p>\n

If we want to secure a future \u201cworthy\u201d of our youth, we should do so \u201cby staking it on true inclusion: one that provides work that is worthy, free, creative, participatory and solidary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Francis closed his homily urging attendees to contemplate the God-Child at the end of the year, explaining that doing this serves as an invitation \u201cto return to the sources and roots of our faith. In Jesus, faith becomes hope; it becomes a leaven and a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Vatican City, Dec 31, 2016 \/ 10:15 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- During a prayer service for the close of 2016, Pope Francis said the arrival of a new year should serve as an opportunity to toss out attitudes of selfishness and exclusion, focusing instead on ho…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nAt close of 2016, Pope says selfishness should be a thing of the past<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Dec 31, 2016 \/ 10:15 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- During a prayer service for the close of 2016, Pope Francis said the arrival of a new year should serve as an opportunity to toss out attitudes of selfishness and exclusion, focusing instead on ho...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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