Pope Francis said that the Magi reveal how “God calls us through our aspirations and our greatest desires.”
“The Magi allowed themselves to be amazed and discomforted by the novelty of the star and they set out on a journey toward the unknown. Wise and educated, they were fascinated more by what they did not know than by what they knew. They felt called to go beyond,” he said.
“This is important for us as well – we are called not to be satisfied, to seek the Lord by stepping out of our comfort zone, journeying toward him with others, immersing ourselves in reality. For God calls every day, here and now, in our world.”
At the end of the Angelus, Pope Francis extended his greetings to the Oriental Churches that will celebrate Christmas Day on January 7. The pope also asked people to pray for “the battered population of Ukraine.”
Earlier on Friday, Pope Francis presided over a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Epiphany solemnity.
In his homily, the pope encouraged Catholics not to be sedated by the many “tranquilizers of the soul” offered today, like “non-stop media” and “empty promises of pleasure.”
“Often we try to soothe our hearts with creature comforts. … If the Magi had done that, they would never have encountered the Lord,” Francis said.
“Like the Magi, let us fall down and entrust ourselves to God in the wonder of worship. Let us worship God, not ourselves; let us worship God and not the false idols that seduce by the allure of prestige and power … let us love God and not bow down before passing things and evil thoughts, seductive yet hollow and empty,” he said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.
Credit: Source link
