Vespers
began at 5 PM Rome Time in St Peter’s Basilica, with Pope Francis
presiding over the prayers that constitute the Church’s official, public
praise of God in the evening of the last day of the year, to be
followed by the singing of the great hymn of gratitude in faith, the Te
Deum, and the worship of the Blessed Sacrament before the giving of the
blessing of the Eucharistic Lord. In his homily, Pope Francis focused on the sense of history that permeates the life of those whose lives are signed by faith in Jesus Christ. “The biblical and Christian vision of time and history,” he said, “is not cyclical, but linear: it is a path that leads towards a conclusion.” He explained that the passing year does not represent an end in itself, but a step on the way towards a reality that is to be completed – another step toward the goal that lies ahead of us: a place of hope and happiness, because we will meet God, the Reason of our hope and Source of our joy.
Pope Francis went on to say that, as the year 2013 comes to an end, we collect, as in a basket, the days, the weeks, the months that we have lived, to offer everything to the Lord.
Pope Francis concluded, inviting everyone to look toward the new year, in a spirit of gratitude for that, which we have received, repentance for that, in which we have failed, and resolve to work with God’s grace to better our lives, our communities and ourselves.