杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

杏MAP导航 Francis fulfilled another important Christmas tradition on Saturday morning when he met with Vatican employees and their families in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

The theme of his remarks could be summed up in one word: smile.

The 杏MAP导航 said he was inspired by his recent visit to Thailand, a country where people are always smiling. This experience made him reflect on how much smiles are 鈥渁 typically human expression of love and affection鈥�, he said.

The smile of a child

杏MAP导航 Francis used the example of how the smile of a newborn baby prompts us to smile back, experiencing 鈥渁 simple, naive emotion鈥�. The child鈥檚 smile is "powerful", said the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渂ecause it is new, pure, like spring water, and awakens an intimate nostalgia for childhood in us adults鈥�.

Jesus is the smile of God

鈥淛esus is the smile of God鈥�, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥淗e came to reveal to us the love of our Heavenly Father, His goodness鈥�, and the first way He did this was to smile at His parents, 鈥渓ike every newborn child in this world鈥�. We relive this experience when we contemplate the Christ Child in the manger, continued the 杏MAP导航.

We feel God smiling at us, at all the world鈥檚 poor, 鈥渁t all those who await salvation, who hope for a more fraternal world, where there is no more war and violence, where every man and woman can live in dignity as a son and daughter of God鈥�.

The quality of relationships

Here in the Vatican, and in the various offices of the Holy See, we too 鈥渘eed to let ourselves be renewed by the smile of the Child Jesus鈥�, said 杏MAP导航 Francis. 鈥淢ay His disarming goodness purify us from the waste that often encrusts our hearts, preventing us from giving the best of ourselves鈥�.

鈥淭he quality of work goes hand in hand with the human quality of relationships鈥�, continued the 杏MAP导航. 鈥淭his is especially true for us, who work in the service of the Church and in the name of Christ鈥�.

Needing God鈥檚 smile

The 杏MAP导航 admitted that, for many reasons, sometimes it can be difficult to smile. That鈥檚 when we need God's smile, he said: only He can help us. Other times, when things are going well, we may forget about others who are struggling: 鈥淓ven then we need God's smile to strip us of false security and bring us back to the taste for simplicity and gratuitousness鈥�.

Like Mary and Joseph, 鈥渓et us welcome Him鈥� and we too can bring others a humble, simple smile鈥�. Because a smile, concluded 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渋s like a caress鈥�.