Pope on Epiphany praises Three Kings example of acceptance and encounter in diversity

Todayfrom St Peter's Basilica, marking the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Francis  spoke of the star. The three kings follow ‘another kind of light’: that of love, not of power. Let the journey to Bethlehem be an example to be ‘light for others’. At the Angelus the Christmas greeting to the Churches of the East.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - ‘The Magi testified that they had set out in a different direction in their lives because they had seen a new light in the sky. Let us pause to reflect on this image as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord during this Jubilee of hope’. The search, a light as a guide, change.

These are elements that, as Pope Francis emphasised this morning during the homily of the Mass in St Peter's Basilica, still challenge the whole of humanity. They represent the journey of the Magi from the East to Jerusalem narrated in Matthew's Gospel (Mt 2:1-12): the encounter with the ‘king of the Jews’ (v. 2), the ‘very great joy’ (v. 10) felt at seeing the star and, finally, the return home by ‘another road’ (v. 12).

Today, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, but also Holy Christmas for the Armenian Apostolic Church and Christmas Eve for the communities of the East, the comet star symbolises ‘another kind of light’. Not the one supposedly emanating from rulers, which symbolises power and fame. Not of this nature the one that showed the Magi the way to Bethlehem.

But a light that ‘illuminates and warms by burning and being consumed’: that of love. The ‘only light that can show everyone the way to salvation and happiness,’ Bergoglio said. ‘The only light that will make us happy’. And which represents the love of God made man and that ‘with which we too are called to spend ourselves for one another’. Which indicates, he added, a sign of hope ‘even in the dark nights of life’.

A love that is ‘closeness, compassion and tenderness’. With which anyone, imitating the ‘shining’ of the star, can show the ‘beauty of the Father's face’ to all the people they meet.

‘We can do this without the need for extraordinary instruments and sophisticated means, but by making our hearts bright in faith, our gazes generous in welcoming, our gestures and words full of kindness and humanity,’ Francis added.

Thus, looking at the example of the Magi, it is possible to be, for each other, ‘lights that lead to an encounter with Him’. The risk of looking only at oneself is real, while it is good to cultivate a movement towards the other. ‘It is bad that one person is not a light for others’.

During his homily, Pope Francis also spoke of the star's ability to be visible to all people. Despite this, some, like the Magi, notice it, while others, like Herod and the scribes, ‘do not even notice its presence’.

‘The star, however, is always there, accessible to anyone who looks up to the sky, seeking a sign of hope. Am I a sign of hope for others?’ the pontiff asked.

The message that such accessibility brings is that God does not reveal himself only to ‘exclusive circles’, but to anyone who seeks him ‘with a sincere heart’. This is also why the Magi have characteristics of all ages and ethnicities. A detail that makes one meditate as people ‘equipped with increasingly powerful means of communication, seem to become less willing to understand, accept and meet each other in their diversity’.

‘The star speaks to us of God's dream: that all of humanity, in the richness of its differences, will come to form one living family in concord in prosperity and peace,’ Francis continued.

The star, in fact, indicates first of all the path. A precious sign to be grasped in this start of the Holy Year, whose motto is ‘pilgrims of hope’, and which therefore includes pilgrimage among its characteristic gestures.

‘The light of the star invites us to make an inner journey that, as John Paul II wrote, frees our heart from everything that is not charity,’ said Bergoglio. ‘And we, looking at the star, can also renew our commitment to be women and men of the Way.’

After the celebration in St. Peter's, Pope Francis looked out the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace for the recitation of the Angelus. From here, in front of a packed square still decorated for the Christmas festivities, he spoke about the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Orthodox Churches that follow the Julian calendar, which celebrate Holy Christmas tomorrow.

‘I am pleased to address my warmest wishes,’ he said. ‘I especially assure my prayers for those who are suffering because of the ongoing conflicts. May Jesus, Prince of Peace, bring peace and serenity to all.’ And imploring peace in the world, he added: ‘Let us not forget to pray for peace, in the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, all the countries that are at war, Myanmar’.