VATICAN (SE): “The birth of Christ is a reminder for Christians to take a moment and reflect on the hope of salvation given by God to the world,” Pope Francis said in the run up to Christmas at his weekly general audience on December 21.

He said that those who are humble and poor, like the shepherds who were the first to visit the baby Jesus, come to realise that the promise of hope is fulfilled by trusting in God and not from personal securities or especially material goods.

VATICAN (SE): As the Church set about preparing to celebrate Christmas at the beginning of Advent, Pope Francis emphasised in his homily at the morning Mass in his home in Domus Sanctae Marthae (St. Martha’s House) on November 27 that living Christmas is not a theory or philosophy, but sheer hard work.

He pointed out that it is not always about the things we do, but often what we refrain from doing, especially in irritating times.

MANILA (UCAN): The poor amidst plenty syndrome of The Philippines is a national disgrace for a country which prides itself in being Catholic.

The problem is especially amplified during Christmas, a time of year marked with feasting and professing faith in the God of the poor.

The desperate poverty incidence among Filipinos now sits at more than 25 per cent of the population, despite the promise of the government to bring it down to 18 per cent by this year.

MANILA (Agencies): What happens when a priest gets a bit carried away with enthusiasm for the Christmas spirit and sings his Christmas greetings to his congregation as he wanders the church at the end of Mass?

Well, if you are Father Albert San José and you are at the parish of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal in Biñan, Quezon City, you get to apologise and take an enforced holiday for a few weeks.