Pope Francis ANGELUS ADDRESS - DECEMBER 18, 2022 Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno! Today, the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, the liturgy presents the figure of Saint Joseph to us (cf. Mt 1:18-24). He is a just man who is about to get married. We can imagine what his dreams for the future are — a beautiful family, with an affectionate wife and many wonderful children, and a dignified job — simple and good dreams, the dreams of simple and good people. Suddenly however, these dreams shatter against a disconcerting discovery. Mary, his betrothed, is expecting a child, and the child is not his! What would Joseph have felt? Shock, pain, confusion, perhaps even irritation and disappointment…. He experienced his world was falling apart all around him! And what could he do? The Law gives him two options. The first is to accuse Mary and make her pay the price for her alleged infidelity. The second is to secretly annul their engagement without exposing Mary to scandal and to harsh consequences, taking upon himself, however, the burden of shame. So, Joseph chooses this second option, the way of mercy. And behold, at the height of his crisis, right when he is thinking and evaluating all this, God lights a new light in his heart — he declares to him in a dream that Mary’s motherhood did not come about because of a betrayal, but was the work As we await His Holiness Pope Leo XIV ’ s future homilies and addresses regarding Gospel readings, we will revisit the teachings of his predecessors. Wisdom of Pope Leo XIV “Christ announces who he is by what he does. And what he does is a sign of salvation for all of us. In fact, by encountering Jesus – lives previously deprived of light, speech and taste regain meaning – the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear. The image of God, seemingly disfigured by leprosy, regains wholeness and vitality. Even the dead, who are completely lifeless, come back to life (cf. v. 5). This is the Gospel of Jesus, the good news proclaimed to the poor. Thus, when God comes into the world, it is clearly seen!” Quote from Angelus Address of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV December 7, 2025 Teachings of the Popes
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