As the Church prepares for Christmas, Pope Leo XIV has reflected on the power of music to draw the human heart closer to God, describing it as a spiritual refuge amid the noise of modern life.
The Pope made the remarks during a meeting with artists and organizers involved in the Vatican’s annual Christmas Concert, an event that has been held for more than three decades and continues this year at the auditorium on Via della Conciliazione near St. Peter’s Basilica, according to Vatican News.
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Speaking about the deeper meaning of music, Pope Leo said that it “accompanies our journeys, our memories and our efforts,” calling it “a shared intimate diary that preserves each person’s feelings—nostalgia, desire, expectation, disorientation, rebirth—telling our story with simplicity and, at the same time, with depth,” according to Vatican News.
The Holy Father connected the role of music to the mystery of the Incarnation, reminding those present that Christmas reveals how God chooses closeness over grandeur. “In order to reveal himself, God chooses a human setting,” the Pope said, adding that God “does not rely on grand scenery, but on a simple home” and “comes to meet us at the very heart of our small stories,” according to Vatican News.
Pope Leo also highlighted the charitable purpose behind this year’s concert, noting that its proceeds will support a Salesian missionary project in the Republic of the Congo, where a primary school for 350 children is planned. The initiative, he explained, reflects how true beauty must lead to action, observing that beauty, “when it is authentic, does not remain closed in on itself, but gives rise to responsible choices for the world,” according to Vatican News.
As Christmas approaches, the Pope expressed his hope that sacred music in particular might help believers encounter God more deeply. He said he hopes that “music might be a dwelling place for the soul—an inner space where the heart can speak, drawing us closer to God and allowing our humanity to be ever more inspired by his love,” according to Vatican News.
The Pope’s message serves as an invitation to Catholics to rediscover music not merely as entertainment during the Christmas season, but as a path to contemplation, charity, and renewed faith in the God who chooses to dwell among His people.
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