Skip to content

Pope Francis offers 5 commitments on the road to Christmas

Pope Francis proposed to the faithful 5 concrete commitments to live with intensity the remaining days of Advent 2022, and to prepare the heart for the birth of the Child Jesus through simple actions.

At the Angelus on December 12, 2021, and before the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff asked the question: “What can I do concretely?

In the same vein, he called to ask himself: “These days, as we approach Christmas, how can I do my part?

In response, he encouraged us to make “a concrete commitment, even a small one, that fits our life situation” and carry it forward to prepare ourselves for this Christmas.

Along these lines, he listed 5 commitments that the faithful can make to live with faith and hope this time of joy for the arrival of the Child Jesus:

1. Calling a lonely person on the phone.

2. Visiting an elderly or sick person.

3. Do something to serve a poor person, a person in need.

4. To ask for forgiveness, to forgive, to clear up any conflict or to settle a debt.

5. To take up prayer again and approach the Lord’s forgiveness.

“Brothers and sisters, let us look for something concrete and do it! May the Virgin, in whose womb God became flesh, help us”, he prayed.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Pope Leo speaks on the papal plane from Equatorial Guinea to Italy after his Africa trip on April 23, 2026. (photo: Simone Risoluti / Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV: The End of the Pragmatic Approach

ANALYSIS: The way Leo XIV addressed the blessing issue marked a necessary discontinuity with his predecessor. The press conference

This Is Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention For The Month Of March

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for families in crisis.

Pope Leo XIV tells soldiers: It is noble to defend the sovereignty of your homeland

The pontiff reflected on military values in a private audience with the Military Ordinariate of Portugal on Aug.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 as depicted in a fresco in Salone Sistino at the Vatican. | Credit: Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618), Cesare Nebbia (1534-1614) e aiuti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Council of Nicaea: 1,700 years of Christian unity amid division

In the summer of A.D. 325, more than 300 bishops gathered in Nicaea — located in modern-day northern
Pope Francis greets South Sudanese President Salva Kiir at the Vatican, April 11, 2019. | Vatican Media

The pope kissed his feet. Who is the cowboy-hat-wearing president of South Sudan?

At a Vatican retreat in 2019, Pope Francis kissed the feet of President Salva Kiir — and those

Why is Pope Francis going to Hungary in 2023

Pope Francis is set to make a three-day Apostolic Journey to Hungary from 28 to 30 April 2023.

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNVatican.com