In his homily for the Liturgy of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis says, “We must learn even better how to contemplate the Lord,” learning from the example of the Magi.
By Christopher Wells
“Nowadays, it is especially necessary for us, both as individuals and as communities, to dedicate more time to worship,” Pope Francis said at the Epiphany. “We must learn better and better how to contemplate the Lord,” following the example of the Wise Men, the Magi, who came to Bethlehem to worship the Infant Jesus. “Like them,” said the Pope, “we want to fall down and worship the Lord.”
Taking his cue from that day’s liturgical readings, Pope Francis focused on three phrases “that can help us to better understand what it means to be worshipers of the Lord: ‘to raise our eyes,’ to embark on a journey, ‘ and ‘see. ‘ “
To raise our eyes
The first expression is taken from the prophet Isaiah, who encouraged the people of Israel, after returning from exile, to “look up” and look around, despite their problems.
This prophetic call to “look around” does not mean ignoring difficulties and troubles, much less denying reality. Rather, “it is about seeing problems and anxieties in a new way, knowing that God is aware of our troubles, attentive to our prayers, and not indifferent to the tears we shed.”
This is an invitation to continued trust in 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 sure that the Lord gives us the strength to face them.” Filial gratitude and joy based on trust in God “awaken in us a desire to worship the Lord.”
To go on a journey
Pope Francis mentioned that before the Magi could worship Jesus in Bethlehem, they had to make a long journey. “A journey,” he said, “always means change.” And for us, our journey through life involves many changes, even mistakes and failures that can still become learning experiences. “As time goes on,” said the Pope, “the trials and difficulties of life, the experience of faith, help us to cleanse our hearts, making them more humble and thus more open to God.”
Instead of being discouraged by the difficulties we face in life, he continued, “We should give them opportunities to progress toward the Lord Jesus … Keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord, we will find the strength to persevere with a renewed joy ”.
To see
This leads to the third phrase: “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 this was: “Worship was an act of homage to sovereigns and high dignitaries.” But although the Magi knew Jesus as the King of the Jews, they saw only “a poor Child and His mother.” “They could” see “beyond appearances,” the pope said.
To worship the Lord, Pope Francis explained that we too “must” see “beyond the veil of visible things, which often prove deceptive.” In the Gospel, Herod and the people of Jerusalem “represent a worldliness enslaved to immediate appearances and attractions” and thus are unable to recognize Jesus for who He really is.
“Theological realism”
The Magi, however, view 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 makes possible the worship of the Lord. which is often hidden in everyday situations, in the poor and on the sidelines … a way of seeing things that is not impressed by sound and anger, but seeks in every situation the things that really matter. “
Pope Francis ended his homily with a prayer that the Lord “may make us true worshipers, able to show through our lives His loving plan for all mankind.”