In his sermon for the Mass on the Solemnity of Epiphany, Pope Francis says, “We must learn even better how to behold the Lord,” learning from the example of the kings.
By Christopher Wells
“In our day and age, it is extremely necessary that we, as individuals and as communities, devote more time to worship,” said Pope Francis at Epiphany Mass. “We must learn more and more how to behold the Lord,” after the example of the wise men, the magicians, who came to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus. “Like them,” said the Pope, “we want to fall down and worship the Lord.”
Drawing on the day’s liturgical readings, Pope Francis focused on three phrases “that can help us better understand what it means to be worshipers of the Lord:” to lift our eyes, “to go on a journey,” and ‘see. “
To lift our eyes
The first phrase is taken from the prophet Isaiah, who, after returning from exile, encouraged the people of Israel to lift their eyes and look around despite their troubles.
This prophetic call to “look around” does not mean that we ignore difficulties and difficulties, let alone deny reality. Rather, it is a matter of “seeing problems and fears in a new way, knowing that God is aware of our problems, attentive to our prayers, and not indifferent to the tears we shed.”
This is an invitation to constantly rely on God, which in turn leads to “filial gratitude,” said the Pope. “If we keep our eyes on God, our problems will not disappear, but we are sure that the Lord will give us the strength to deal with them.” Childlike gratitude and joy based on trust in God “awaken in us the desire to worship the Lord.”
To go on a journey
Pope Francis noted that before the magicians could worship Jesus in Bethlehem, they had to take 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. “With the passage of time,” said the Pope, “the trials and tribulations of life, experience in faith, help to purify our hearts, make them more humble, and thus more open to God.”
Rather than being discouraged by the difficulties we experience in life, he added, “ We must give them opportunities to come to the Lord Jesus … By keeping our eyes on the Lord, we will gain strength. find what is needed to endure with renewed joy. ”
See
This leads to the third sentence: “see”. When the magicians arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesus with his mother Mary, “they fell down and worshiped him.”
Pope Francis emphasized how remarkable this was: “Worship was an act of tribute reserved for princes and high dignitaries.” But although the magicians knew that Jesus was the king of the Jews, they saw only “a poor child and his mother.” “They were able to see beyond appearances,” said the Pope.
To worship the Lord, Pope Francis explained, we too must “look beyond the veil of visible things, which often prove misleading.” In the Gospel, Herod and the people of Jerusalem represent “a worldliness that is addicted to appearance and immediate attraction,” and so they cannot recognize Jesus for Who He really is.
“Theological Realism”
The magicians, 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 makes it possible. makes to worship the Lord who is often hidden in everyday situations, in the arms and in the margins … a way of seeing that is not impressed by noise and anger, but in every situation looks for the things that really matter to do. “
Pope Francis concluded his sermon with a prayer that the Lord would “make us true worshipers, able to demonstrate through our lives His loving plan for all mankind.”