In his homily for the Mass of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis says, “We must learn even better to contemplate the Lord,” learning from the example of the Magi.
By Christopher Wells
“In our day, it is particularly necessary that, as individuals and as communities, we devote more time to worship,” Pope Francis said at the Epiphany Mass. “We must learn better and better how to behold the Lord,” following the example of the Magi, the Magi, who came to Bethlehem to worship the Child Jesus. “Like them,” said the Pope, “we want to fall and worship the Lord.”
Taking the cue from the liturgical readings of the day, Pope Francis focused on three phrases that can help us better understand what it means to be worshipers of the Lord: “lift up your eyes,” travel, and see.
To raise your eyes
The first expression is taken from the prophet Isaiah, who encouraged the people of Israel, after returning from exile, to “lift up” their eyes and look around, despite their problems.
This prophetic call to “look around” does not mean ignoring difficulties and problems, let alone denying reality. Rather, “it is about seeing problems and anxieties in a new way, knowing that God is aware of our problems, is attentive to our prayers, and is not indifferent to the tears we shed.”
This is an invitation to continually trust God, which in turn leads to “filial gratitude,” the Pope said. “When we look up to God, our problems do not go away, but we are confident that the Lord will give us the strength to deal with them.” Filial gratitude and joy based on trust in God “awaken in us the desire to worship the Lord.”
To embark on a journey
Pope Francis noted that before the Magi could worship Jesus in Bethlehem, they had to make a long journey. “A journey,” he said, “always involves change.” For us too, our journey through life involves many changes, even mistakes and failures that can nevertheless become learning experiences. “Over time,” the Pope said, “the trials and hardships of life, the experience of faith, help to purify our hearts, making them more humble and therefore more open to God. “.
Instead of being discouraged by the hardships we experience in life, he continued, “We should give them opportunities to progress toward the Lord Jesus … Keeping our gaze fixed on the Lord, we will find the strength to persevere with a renewed joy. “
I’ll see
This leads to the third sentence: “see.” When the Magi arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesus with his mother Mary, “they fell down and worshiped him.”
Pope Francis stressed how remarkable it was: “Worship was an act of homage reserved for sovereigns and high dignitaries.” But even though the Magi knew that Jesus was the king of the Jews, they only saw “a poor child and his mother.” “They were able to‘ see ’beyond appearances,” the Pope said.
To worship the Lord, Pope Francis explained that we too “need” to see “beyond the veil of visible things, which are often misleading.” In the Gospel, Herod and the people of Jerusalem “represent a worldliness enslaved to appearances and immediate attractions,” so that they cannot recognize Jesus for who he really is.
“Theological realism”
The Magi, however, look at things differently, with an approach that the Pope describes as “theological realism”: “a way of perceiving the objective reality of things … a way of” seeing “that transcends the visible and allows us to worship the Lord who often hides in everyday situations, in the poor and in those who are on the sidelines … a way of seeing things that is not impressed by sound and fury, but seeks in all situations what really matters.
Pope Francis concluded his homily with a prayer for the Lord to “make us true worshipers, able to show with our lives his loving plan for all humanity.”