ROME — God shows his greatness through his tenderness toward his children like a loving father, Pope Francis said.
In his homily during morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae Dec. 14, the pope said it is as if God “wants to sing us a lullaby” to soothe those who are wounded.
“He carries us within his very being. He is the God who with this dialogue makes himself little to make us understand, so that we may trust in him and we can tell him with the courage of Paul,” who uses the word, “Abba,” the Aramaic term for father reflecting a deeply personal and intimate relationship.
Francis reflected on the day’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and the responsorial psalm which proclaims that “the Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.”
This compassion is most evident during the Christmas season, where God “makes himself small and in his smallness, does not stop being great,” the pope said.
“There is God’s tenderness. The great one that makes himself little and the little one who is great. Christmas helps us to understand this: In that manger, (there is) the little God,” he said.
Francis said that God, like the good Samaritan who tended to the wounds of the man who was robbed, looks to care for his wounded children.
During this time, he added, Christians should reflect throughout the day on “God’s invitation: ‘Come, come; let me see your wounds. I want to heal them.'”
“Someone may ask: ‘Where is the theological place of God’s tenderness? Where can the tenderness of God be found? Where is the place where God’s tenderness is best manifested? (It is found in) the wounds: my wounds, your wounds,” the pope said. “By their wounds, we are healed.”
