( CNN ) -- Pope Francis rang in his first Christmas at the Vatican with a Christmas Eve Mass preaching a message of love and forgiveness . `` On this night , let us share the joy of the Gospel . God loves us . He so loves us that he gave us his son to be our brother , to be light in our darkness . To us the Lord repeats , 'Do not be afraid , ' ... And I , too , repeat , do not be afraid , ' '' the Pope said . `` Our Father is patient . He loves us , he gives us Jesus to guide us on the way which leads to the promised land . Jesus is the light who brightened the darkness . Our Father forgives always . He is our peace and light . '' He called on the throngs gathered at St. Peter 's Basilica on Tuesday to cast aside hatred . `` God is light and in him there is no darkness at all . Yet on the part of the people , there are times of both light and darkness , fidelity and infidelity , obedience and rebellion , times of being a pilgrim people , and times of being a people adrift , '' the Pope said . `` In our personal history , too , there are both bright and dark moments , lights and shadows . If we love God and our brothers and sisters , we walk in the light . But if our heart is closed , if we are dominated by pride , deceit , self-seeking , then darkness falls within us , and around us . Whoever hates his brother -- writes the Apostle John -- is in the darkness ; he walks in the darkness , and does not know the way to go , because the darkness has blinded his eyes . '' Before the Mass , pilgrims gathering in Vatican City told CNN they were excited to celebrate with the Pope . `` We want to share this special moment with a person who is a beloved person , and we appreciate all he 's doing , '' one woman said . Nine months into his papacy , much has been made of the Pope 's reforms , among them more scrutiny at the Vatican bank , changes to the church 's bureaucratic structure , and a commission to deal with the abuse of minors . And while this year 's Christmas liturgy remains the same , experts say we should expect the unexpected . `` He tends to be a surprise , because he does things that are normal , but are very abnormal in terms of the papacy , '' said Gerard O'Connell , a Vatican analyst . `` He brought three homeless men into where he is living to have breakfast with him on his birthday . ... I suspect we will see something else again over the Christmas period . '' The festivities began on Saturday , with the Pope 's Christmas message to the Curia . He urged the church 's governing body to avoid gossip and to focus on service . And then he practiced what he preached , spending three hours at a local hospital bringing Christmas cheer to sick children . There were a record number of requests to attend this year 's Christmas Eve Mass . On Christmas Day , tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected to flood St. Peter 's Square to hear his message to the world . `` People are listening to him , because he 's speaking in a language that 's not Vaticanese , '' O'Connell said . `` He 's speaking the language of ordinary people . ''
The Pope urges faithful to cast aside hatred . He leads his first Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican . `` God is light and in him there is no darkness at all , '' the Pope says .