Another chance today, to hear the Prologue of the Good News from John's Gospel.

It is an artistic and beautiful poem which places Christ right I the centre of Creation. He is the source of all life, as al life comes through him.

You may recall that yesterday (Sunday) we had the story of when Jesus stayed int he Temple for a few days after his Parents Joseph and Mary left for their journey back to their home town? We did not get a homily on this because we had Bishop Bosco's Pastoral letter instead.

Today's Gospel is in similar territory: att he same age (12) Jesus is brought to the temple for the customary rites performed with a young man of his age. They encounter Anna, the prophetess, who has been looking forward to His arrival, and she recognised him, years before anyone else (other than his Mother) did, as the Son of Man.

Would we recognise Jesus present in our midst when we gather in our Church?  We certainly should - he is present in the sacrament of the Altar, in the Word of God, in the people gathered together and in the Priest who 'in persona Christi' performs the sacrifice of the Altar in our presence. Recognising Christ as present, then we most certainly should rejoice and give thanks to God, and as Anna did; we should "speak of Him".

Pope Francis used the high-profile TFTD slot to share his thoughts on the Jubilee, the Year of Hope he inaugurated in Rome on Christmas Eve

Pope Francis shared a message of hope, kindness and humility on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot this morning.

In the message, recorded in Italian and translated into English for the broadcast, the Pope also marked the start of the Jubilee year which began on December 24.

He said: “A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world. A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect and empathy is more humane.”

He prayed for people to be shown the path to good behaviour, such as treating people with respect.

And he spoke of the Jubilee, urging people to becomem “pilgrims of hope”. He said: “I hope that during this Jubilee, we can practise kindness as a form of love to help others.”

Violence and hatred in society should not discourage people and foster scepticism, instead it is possible to choose love and kindness. “Kindness is a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all become more humble.”

Citing the writer GK Chesterton, the Pope urged listeners to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted”.

He encouraged people not to let the state of the world in areas such as the environment foster feelings of pessimism, resignation and hopelessness and urged them instead to choose hope and kindness.

Professor Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, guest editing Today as part of the annual Christmas tradition, invited Pope Francis to do the broadcast.

Professor Tracey, a neuroscientist, reflected on her own research field in understanding and treating pain, and the broader role that universities play in society.

This will be the second time Pope Francis has appeared on Thought for the Day. He first appeared on the programme in 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate summit when appealed for the world to take “an urgent change of direction” to preserve the planet for future generations.

He is the second Pope to take part in Thought for the Day. Pope Benedict XVI broadcast a prerecorded message on Christmas Eve in 2010 following his visit to the UK.

The story of Samson's conception is strikingly similar to that of Jesus with his mother, Mary. The child born however was very different! Although Samson did make a huge progress towards the salvation of his people, particularly against the Philistines, he did it in a a very human way. He defeated them, taunted them, in a way similar to how some recent politicians do in the modern world. Samson was a man of power and strength (and again, like many modern politicians, he had a weakness ready to be exploited).

Not at all like Jesus.

Note also other differences between the conceptions: There is no 'fiat', the Yes of Mary that was the moment the world changed forever. There was no apparent acceptance of the immaculate conception - it could almost be a tale told by an errant wife! The angel was in no way differential to the woman - quite the opposite indeed.

And no glorious leap of joy, no 'Magnificat'.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel are the prophets to he Exile. Israel is removed from the promised land, but the prophets show that the Lord will return to save them. This Lord is given the name 'righteous', or may be translated as 'Saving Justice'.

Saving Justice can have different levels of meaning - from the superficial human one - that if you are in the right, justice will save you, to the deeper meaning of fidelity of God to his covenant promises. These of course also require our fidelity - a covenant is two way. Another view of 'Saving Justice' is the concept that we call 'Grace'. Grace is the saving love of God, given freely to all who all accept it, most often through our sacramental life.

However it works for you today - the prophet promises that the saving justice will come. It will come with the Lord - and we know, as Christians, that this has happened and is a reality in our daily lives.

Isaiah Chapters 40 to 56 are collectively known as 'the book of consolation'. There is almost no human condition that can not find a loving response in these pages. Ultimately, we are all consoled, no matter what suffering we might have encountered, by the promise of Christ's coming into the world. This is in just a few days away...

Make straight the way of the Lord, for: