“Salvator noster”: this is our hope; this is the message that the Church proclaims once again this Christmas Day.
Pope Benedict gave his
Christmas Urbi et Orbi address at Saint Peter’s Basilica today (see the
BBC article). He spoke very pointedly about certain sociopolitical issues—including the conflict in Darfur and the Middle East crises. According to the BBC,
He lamented the many deaths from hunger and disease around the world in “an age of unbridled consumerism”. The Pope noted man's scientific advances in the modern age, but added that in the 21st Century “perhaps he needs a saviour all the more” because so much of humanity was still suffering. ... The Pope contrasted scientific breakthroughs such as the internet and decoding of the human genome with what he called the “heart-rending cry” for help from those dying of hunger, thirst, disease and poverty.
The Pope spoke of the especial need today for a Savior:
Today “our Saviour is born to the world”, for he knows that even today we need him. Despite humanity’s many advances, man has always been the same: a freedom poised between good and evil, between life and death. It is there, in the very depths of his being, in what the Bible calls his “heart”, that man always needs to be “saved”. And, in this post-modern age, perhaps he needs a Saviour all the more, since the society in which he lives has become more complex and the threats to his personal and moral integrity have become more insidious. Who can defend him, if not the One who loves him to the point of sacrificing on the Cross his only-begotten Son as the Saviour of the world?
Finally, near the end of his short address, he spoke words that should resound in churches everywhere and with which I can only heartily concur. These words should stand as a banner over each Christian community:
Our Saviour is born for all. We must proclaim this not only in words, but by our entire life, giving the world a witness of united, open communities where fraternity and forgiveness reign, along with acceptance and mutual service, truth, justice and love.
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