In the year 2000 (29.12.2000), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who
would become Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, published a reflection
on Christmas in the "Osservatore Romano," the official Vatican
newspaper. The reflection focuses on the important role of the
Jewish people in the history of salvation and we publish it here
before Christmas to help us prepare for the feast. The Heritage
of Abraham: The Gift of Christmas Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
L'Osservatore Romano - 29 December, 2000 At Christmas, we
exchange gifts, in order to bring joy to others, and to share in
the joy which the choir of angels announced to the shepherds,
calling to mind once more the gift par excellence which God made
to humanity when he gave us his Son Jesus Christ. But God
prepared for this gift over the course of a long history, during
which, as St. Irenaeus says, God became accustomed to being with
human beings, and human beings became accustomed to being in
communion with God. Gratitude to our Jewish brothers This story
begins with the faith