Pope Francis in Bethlehem: "The child is the sign"

"The Bethlehemitissa” Wonderworking Icon of Our Lady of Bethlehem in the south transept of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Pope Francis visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem this morning and celebrated Mass in Manger Square. In his homily he reflected on Luke 2:12: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” 

"The Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem," Pope Francis preached, ""is the sign given by God to those who awaited salvation, and he remains forever the sign of God’s tenderness and presence in our world: 'This will be a sign for you: you will find a child…'.Today too, children are a sign. They are a sign of hope, a sign of life, but also a “diagnostic” sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society and the entire world. Wherever children are accepted, loved, cared for and protected, the family is healthy, society is more healthy and the world is more human."
Read the whole homily here:http://popefrancisholyland2014.lpj.org/blog/2014/05/25/manger-square-holy-mass-bethlehem-25-05-2014/