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Pope Urges Faithful to be Transformed by Christ's 'Crazy Love' for All

Associated Press

   VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that
   God loves everyone -- "even the worst of us" -- as he celebrated the
   joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and
   opposition.

   With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn "The First Noel,"
   Francis walked down the center aisle of St. Peter's Basilica late
   Tuesday and unveiled a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity
   scene at the foot of the altar.

   Francis said the birth of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on
   Christmas Day, was a reminder of God's unconditional love for everyone,
   "even the worst of us."

   "God does not love you because you think and act the right way," he
   said. "You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess
   of things, but the Lord continues to love you."

   At the same time though, he called for the faithful to allow themselves
   to be transformed by Jesus' "crazy love" and to stop trying to change
   others.

   "May we not wait for our neighbors to be good before we do good to
   them, for the church to be perfect before we love her, for others to
   respect us before we serve them. Let us begin with ourselves," he said.

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