Six years ago the late Pope Francis began a tradition of hosting a seasonal musical event with the title Vatican Concert With the Poor, Francis had a heart for the marginalized going back to his days as a priest and felt that the concert was one way of honouring those who are often left out of Christmas festivities. The 3,000 guests have been mostly the poor, refugees, others from vulnerable communities and they are seated in places of prominence.
Pope Leo is continuing the tradition and this year the featured performer was Canadian crooner, Michael Buble. Years ago a parishioner practically squealed as she gushed about scoring tickets to a Buble concert and I'm afraid my efforts to feign enthusiasm were tepid. Still, he was a big star and still is for many. It turns out that he and his wife share a Christian faith and he was honoured to have this role.
I saw a couple of interviews in which he was emotional about meeting Pope Leo and offered that he says a prayer before every concert. He considers music to be a form of prayer, and who can argue. They have four children and spoke about seeing homeless people on the streets when they are out and about. He reminds them that Jesus respected and loved poor people and humbled himself by washing the feet of his disciples.
Buble spoke about faith being light and wondered why some are surprised to hear that it is important in his life: “We are living in a very interesting world. There’s a lot of things that you can say, they don’t shock people. The language we use, the things we do. They don’t shock people. But when you say you have strong faith, this is shocking to people.”
Here is what Pope Leo had to say about the December 6 concert:
If we concretely love those who are hungry and thirsty, those without clothing, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner, we are loving the Lord," Pope Leo told the artists, including members of the choir of the Diocese of Rome and the Nova Opera Orchestra.
"This is the Gospel," Pope Leo said, quoting from his exhortation on love for the poor: " This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us."
"The dignity of men and women is not measured by what they possess," the pope insisted. "We are not our goods and belongings, but rather children loved by God; and this same love must be the measure of our actions toward our neighbor."
"For this reason, in our concert, the most vulnerable brothers and sisters occupy the first places," he said.
This really is the gospel, Christmas crescendoing into Easter.
“I feel like faith is light, literally a light,” Bublé told journalists ahead of the concert over the weekend.
“We know times are difficult for many people, and there’s a lot of darkness,” he continued.
“When you have faith, you have your own pilot light. And the lights can go out everywhere, everywhere. But if you have that faith and you have that light inside you, you can find your way,” Bublé said.
The Vatican’s “Concert with the Poor” took place on December 6 and, according to the Vatican, more than 3,000 guests of honor included homeless people, refugees and other vulnerable groups. Pope Francis began the tradition, and Pope Leo said the event came out of the late pope’s heart and his love for the poor.
Bublé called the experience life-changing and said faith is something that’s always been a part of his life.
“All I can do is live that way and hope that the actions and the things that I do are things that my children can learn from, and they keep that faith inside to keep them strong,” he said.
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