Pope Francis: audience, “make a small nativity scene at home, always”. “It is like opening the door and saying: ‘Jesus, come in!’”

“From the crib we can finally grasp a teaching on the very meaning of life”, Pope Francis explained in the catechesis of his General Audience today, describing the “daily scenes” of the crèche: “Shepherds with sheep, blacksmiths who beat the iron, millers who make bread; sometimes landscapes and situations of our territories are included. It is right, because the crèche reminds us that Jesus comes into our real life”. “This is why it is important to make a small nativity scene at home, always, – he continued off the cuff – because it is the memory that God came to us, that he accompanies us in life, that he became man like us”. “In everyday life we are no longer alone, he lives with us”, Pope Francis remarked: “He does not magically change things, but if we accept him, everything can change. I hope that making the nativity scene will be an opportunity for us to invite Jesus into our lives”. “When we make the crèche at home, it is like opening the door and saying: ‘Jesus, come in!’”, he concluded off the cuff: “It is making this closeness tangible, this invitation to Jesus to come into our lives. Because if he dwells in our lives, life is reborn. And it really is Christmas”.