The 25th day of December, the twenty-second of the Moon:
Countless centuries past from the creation of the world,
when, in the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth
and formed man in his own image;
Likewise many ages since after the Flood,
when the Most High extended the rainbow across the heavens
as the sign of his Covenant and of peace;
In the 21st century since the migration of Abraham, our father in faith,
from Ur of the Chaldeans;
the 13th century after the exodus of Israel from Egypt, led by Moses,
roughly a millennium from the anointing of David as King;
In the 65th week, as prophesied by Daniel,
the 194th Olympiad,
the 752nd year from the foundation of the City of Rome,
the 42nd year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,
the whole world being at peace:
JESUS CHRIST,
Eternal God,
Eternal Son of the Father,
seeking to consecrate the world by coming into it;
conceived by the Holy Spirit,
nine months having passed since his conception,
in Bethlehem of Judea
was born of the Virgin Mary
and became man.
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
* * *There's the traditional Christmas Proclamation... and here, something a little more recent:
I can read [the sign] there, written large: "The poor aren't able to wait!" Beautiful! And this makes me think that Jesus was born in a stable, he wasn't born in a house. Then he had to flee, to go to Egypt to save his life. Only finally did he return home to Nazareth. And I think today, even while reading that sign, of the many families without a home, whether they never had one or they've lost it for any number of reasons. Family and home go together. It's really difficult for a family to move forward without having a home of their own. In these days of Christmas, I invite everyone – individuals, social entities, authorities – to do everything possible so that every family might have a home!...
To one and all, I wish you a Christmas of hope, of justice, and of brotherhood – buon pranzo e arrivederci!
–Pope Francis
Angelus
22 December 2013
