By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN
CITY (CNS) — The Magi had the courage to set out on a journey in the hope of finding something
new, unlike Herod who was full of himself and unwilling to change his ways,
Pope Francis said.
The Wise Men who set out from
the East in search of Jesus personify all those who long for God and reflect
“all
those who in their lives have let their hearts be anesthetized,” the pope said Jan. 6, the feast of the
Epiphany.
“The
Magi experienced longing; they were tired of the usual fare. They were all too
familiar with, and weary of, the Herods of their own day. But there, in
Bethlehem, was a promise of newness, of gratuity,” he said.
Thousands
of people were gathered in St.
Peter’s Basilica as the pope entered to the sounds of the choir singing
“Angels we have heard on high” in Latin. Before taking his place in
front of the altar, the pope stood in front of a statue of baby Jesus, spending several minutes in
veneration before kissing it.
The
pope said that the Magi adoring the newborn king highlight two specific actions: seeing and worshipping.
Seeing
the star of Bethlehem did not prompt them to embark on their journey but rather,
“they saw the star because they had already set out,” he said.
“Their hearts were open to the horizon and they could see
what the heavens were showing them, for they were guided by an inner
restlessness. They were open to something new,” the pope said.
This
restlessness, he continued, awakens
a longing for God that exists in the hearts of all believers who know
“that the Gospel is not an event of the past but of the present.”
It
is holy longing for God “that helps us keep
alert in the face of every attempt to reduce and impoverish our life. A holy
longing for God is the memory of faith, which rebels before all prophets of
doom,” the pope said.
Recalling
the biblical figures of Simeon, the prodigal son, and Mary Magdalene, the pope
said this longing for God “draws us out of our iron-clad isolation, which
makes us think that nothing can change,” and helps us seek Christ.
However, the figure of King Herod presents a different attitude of
bewilderment and fear that, when confronted with something new, “closes in
on itself and its own achievements, its knowledge, its successes.”
The quest of the Magi led them first to Herod’s palace that, although
it befits the birth
of king, is only a sign of “power, outward appearances and superiority.
Idols that promise only sorrow
and enslavement,” he said.
“There, in the palace, they did not see the star guiding them
to discover a God who wants to be loved. For only under the banner of freedom,
not tyranny, is it possible to realize that the gaze of this unknown but
desired king does not abase, enslave, or imprison us,” the pope said.
Unlike the Magi, the pope added, Herod is unable to worship the
newborn king
because he was unwilling to change his way of thinking and “did not want
to stop worshiping himself, believing that everything revolved around
him.”
Christians are called to imitate the wise men who, “weary of
the Herods of their own day,” set out in search of the promise of
something new.
“The Magi were able to worship, because they had the courage
to set out. And as they fell to their knees before the small, poor and
vulnerable infant,
the unexpected and unknown child
of Bethlehem, they discovered the glory of God,” the pope said.
After the Mass, Pope Francis greeted tens of thousands of people
gathered in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.
A colorful parade led by the sounds of trumpets and drums, people
dressed in traditional and festive clothing contributed to the cheerful atmosphere
despite the chilly weather.
Explaining the significance of the Wise Men who presented their
gifts to Christ after adoring him, the pope gave the crowds a gift: a small booklet
of reflections on mercy.
The book, entitled “Icons of Mercy,” presents “six
Gospel episodes that recall the experience of people transformed by Jesus’
love: the sinful woman, Zacchaeus, Matthew, the publican, the Samaritan, the
good thief and the apostle Peter. Six icons of mercy,” the papal almoner’s
office said.
Together with the homeless, poor men and women and refugees, religious
men and women distributed the books to the crowd. As a thank you, Pope also offered
more than 300 homeless men and women sandwiches and drinks.
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