Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor was on Radio 2’s Chris Evans breakfast show this morning, Thursday 18 December.
Listen to and read his Christmas Pause for Thought reflection below:
Pope Francis was named last week as ‘Person of the Year’ by TIME MAGAZINE. He has done many surprising and very moving things over the past nine months but I like to single out the little things that he did. For example, early one morning, coming out of his room in the hostel where he lives within the Vatican, he saw one of the Swiss Guards standing outside his door. The Pope said to him, “How long have you been standing there?” And the guard said, “Five hours, Your Holiness”. So the Pope returned to his room, brought out a chair and told him to sit on it. The guard said, “I cannot do that, Your Holiness.” Why not? “My Captain said I must stand”. “But I thought I was the Captain – I am the Pope. Come now, sit, you must be tired. “ He then went back into his room and somehow produced a sandwich and said to the guard, “You eat that, you must be hungry, and rest a little while”.
It was a very small thing but not insignificant. You see, you and I cannot change everything or comfort everyone or help everyone but we can do something small, perhaps for someone, as it were, outside the door, in the family, in the street where we live, someone who is tired, weary and needs someone to talk to – a helping hand. Christians remember at this time of the year that in a mysterious and wonderful way, God came to be with us and help and save us. Jesus in God-made-man and His coming changed the world. He brings us all what we most need in our lives, namely, hope and meaning. A very happy Christmas!
2hrs 45mins in:
