Rome — Pope Francis urged Christians Sunday to avoid falling into the trap of Christmas commercialism through spirituality and generous giving.
In order for Jesus to be born in us, “let us prepare our hearts, let us go to pray, let us not let ourselves be swept up by consumerism,” the pope told the crowd gathered in sunny Saint Peter’s Square Sunday for his weekly Angelus address.
“Ah, I have to buy presents, I must do this and that,” Francis said, preempting a rebuttal. “That frenzy of doing things, more and more.”
“It is Jesus that is important,” he continued. “Consumerism is not found in the manger in Bethlehem: there is reality, poverty, love. Let us prepare our hearts to be like Mary’s: free from evil, welcoming, ready to receive God.”
The pontiff also urged his hearers to get beyond their own difficulties in this period by reaching out to those less fortunate than themselves.
“Instead of complaining in these difficult times about what the pandemic prevents us from doing, let us do something for someone who has less,” he said, “not the umpteenth gift for ourselves and our friends, but for a person in need whom no-one thinks of!”
The pope’s remarks came as Christians marked the fourth Sunday of Advent, the period of preparation leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas.
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