Pope: Epiphany, mystery of light for Israel, pagans, the Church of saints and sinners
The feast which marks the start of the Church's mission was celebrated in the Basilica of St Peter. A tangible silence spread among the congregation at the end of the homily.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) A great silence, permeated by attentive reflection and prayer, greeted the words of Benedict XVI as he finished his profound homily during Mass in the Basilica of St Peter to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. This is one of the novel aspects introduced by this pope, that the liturgy is an encounter with the mystery of Jesus, not a show to be watched.
In effect, the pope's words are a composition of doctrine and of beauty which leave one breathless, provoking an awed silence. The Epiphany (a Greek word which means 'manifestation') recalls the arrival of the Magi from the east to the hut in Bethlehem to adore Jesus, manifested as the King of Kings.
Benedict XVI defined the Epiphany as "a mystery of light" that of Christ, which "radiates on earth, spreading as though in concentric circles": to the Virgin Mary and to Joseph; to the "shepherds of Bethlehem", representative of the "rest of Israel, the poor, the anawim"; and "finally reaching the Magi, who constitute the first fruits of the pagan people". "The palaces of power of Jerusalem remain in the shadows," continues the pope. "Paradoxically, the news of the Messiah's birth is delivered there by the very Magi, provoking not joy but fear and hostile reactions. A mysterious divine plan: "The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil" (Jn 3:19)
Benedict XVI then clarified that this "mystery of light", this light, "is the love of God, revealed in the Person of the Word incarnate". He added: "In the Child of Bethlehem, God revealed himself in the humility of the 'human form', in the 'form of a slave', even to death on a cross (cfr Phil 2:6-8). This is the Christian paradox. It is precisely this concealment which makes for the most eloquent 'manifestation' of God: the humility, poverty, and the very ignominy of the Passion, show us how God truly is. The face of the Son faithfully reveals that of the Father. This is why the mystery of Christmas is, so to speak, all an 'epiphany'.
In Christ, "beginning of universal reconciliation and recapitulation" (cfr Eph 1:9-10), God reveals himself as "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to his people Israel" (Lk 2:32), a response to the anticipation of the chosen people of Israel and all the peoples on earth. "The Magi worship a simple Child in the arms of his Mother Mary, because in Him they recognize the source of the twofold light which guided them: the light of the stars and the light of the Scriptures. They recognized in Him the King of the Jews, the glory of Israel, but also the King of all peoples".
"The mystery of the Church and its missionary dimension is also manifested in the liturgical context of the Epiphany," continued the Pope. "She is called to make Christ's light shine in the world and to reflect it herself, as the moon reflects the light of the sun." Christians, trained by Christ to live in the way of the Beatitudes, are called to draw, "through the witness of love", all mankind to God. But this great mission of the Church is marked by sin and by errors. "The Church is holy, but it is made up of men and women with their limitations and their mistakes," said Benedict XVI. It is Christ alone who, giving us the Holy Spirit, can transform our misery and renews us constantly. He is the light of all peoples, lumen gentium, who chose to illuminate the world through his Church (cfr Vat. Council II, Cons. Lumen gentium, 1). Thus, added the pope, we must pray with Mary. "With her example of total availability to the will of God 'fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum' (tr.: let it be done to me according to your word)" (Lk 1:38) she teaches us to be 'epiphany' of the Lord, through the opening of her heart to the strength of grace and faithful adherence to the word of her Son, the light of the world and the ultimate aspiration of history."
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