"Christmas is the feast when God becomes so close to human beings that he shares the same fact of being born to reveal to them their deepest dignity, that of being sons and daughters of God. In that way, the dream of humanity that began in paradise -- we want to be like God -- is realized in an unexpected way: not because of the greatness of man, who cannot make himself God, but through the humility of God, who descends," the pope said.

Pope Benedict said that if at Christmas Jesus is born and almost "hidden" in human form in the manger of Bethlehem, at Epiphany he is revealed to the Three Kings, and the world.

The pope encouraged Christians to stay with the Christmas spirit, contemplating the fact that God has revealed himself to humanity and radiating "the joy born of knowing how close God is to us."

The celebrations of Christmas, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, he said, are invitations to become more aware of the responsibility each Christian has to bring the light of Christ to the world.

The feasts also are an invitation to welcome Christ into one's heart once again and strengthen a commitment to imitating him, so that "his feelings, thoughts and actions are our feelings, thoughts and actions," the pope said.