On this night, the ancient yet ever new proclamation of the Lord's birth rings out. This proclamation, with its inexhaustible power to renew us, a living remembrance of Christ's 2,000 years, of his wondrous birth, which marked the new beginning of history.
Today is born our Savior.
On this night we celebrate the mystery of Bethlehem, the mystery of an incomparable night which is, in a sense, within time and beyond time. From the virgin's womb was born a child, a manger became the cradle of immortal life. With deep emotion I think back to the days of my Jubilee pilgrimage in the Holy Land. My thoughts return to the stable, where I was given the grace to pause in prayer. In spirit, I embrace that blessed land that saw the blossoming of imperishable joy for the world.