Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Star is the Gospel; In Following It We Follow Jesus

Vatican City, 6 January 2015 (VIS) – At noon, after the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.

“In today's Gospel,” he began, “the story of the Magi who came to Bethlehem from the East to adore the Messiah confers upon the feast of Epiphany an air of universality. This air is the breath of the Church, who desires all the peoples of the earth to encounter Jesus and to experience his merciful love. This is the Church's wish: that all may find Jesus' mercy, his love. The new-born Christ does not yet know how to speak and yet people of all the nations—represented by the Magi—can already meet him, recognize him, worship him. The Magi say: 'We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage'.”

“...The Magi were prestigious men, from distant lands and different cultures, and they had journeyed toward Israel to worship the king who had been born. The Church has always seen in them an image of all of humanity and, with today's celebration of the Feast of Epiphany, it wants to respectfully show every man and woman of this world the Child who was born for the salvation of all. On Christmas Eve, Jesus revealed himself to shepherds, humble and unappreciated men—some say robbers. They were the first to bring a little warmth into that cold grotto in Bethlehem. Now the Magi come from distant lands, also mysteriously attracted by that Child. The shepherds and the Magi are very different from one another but one thing unites them: the sky.”

“...The shepherds and the Magi teach us that, to encounter Jesus, it is necessary to know how to raise our gaze to the heavens, and not be turned in on ourselves, on our own selfishness, but to have our hearts and minds open to the horizon of God, which always surprises us, and to know how to welcome its message and respond promptly and generously. The Magi, the Gospel says, 'were overjoyed at seeing the star'. Even for us there is great consolation in seeing the star, namely in feeling guided and not abandoned to our fate. The star is the Gospel, the Word of the Lord that, as the psalm says, 'is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path'. This light guides us towards Christ. Without listening to the Gospel it is not possible to encounter him.”

“The Magi,” he added, “following the star, came to the place where Jesus was. And there 'they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage'. The experience of the Magi urges us not to be content with mediocrity, not to 'just get along' but to seek out the meaning of things, passionately scrutinizing the great mystery of life. It teaches us not to be scandalized by smallness and poverty, but to recognize the majesty of humility and to know how to kneel before it. May the Virgin Mary, who welcomed the Magi to Bethlehem, help us to lift our gaze from ourself and to be guided by the star of the Gospel so that we might meet Jesus and know how to humble ourselves in order to worship him. In that way we can bring a ray of its light to others and share the joy of the journey with them.”


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The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
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Baptisms in the Sistine Chapel: offer your children the legacy of faith

Vatican City, 10 January 2016 (VIS) – "Give your children the legacy of faith", said the Pope this morning in the Sistine Chapel to the parents and godparents of 26 children (13 boys and 13 girls) he baptised during the Holy Mass celebrated on the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord.

In his brief homily the Holy Father explained to those present that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple forty days after His birth to present Him to God, just as today parents take their children to receive Baptism and to receive the faith as they show in their reply to the question at the beginning of the rite. "In this way, faith is transmitted from one generation to another, like a chain through time. These boys, these girls, over the years, will take your place with their children, your grandchildren, and they too will ask for faith. The faith that is given in Baptism, the faith that the Holy Spirit brings today to the heart, the soul and the life of these children of yours".

"You have ask for faith. The Church, when she gives you the lighted candle, will tell you to safeguard the faith in these children. And, in the end, do not forget that the greatest legacy you can give your children is faith. Take care that it is not lost, to make it grow and to leave it as a legacy. This I wish to you today, on this day that is joyful for you: I hope that you will be able to raise these children in faith and that the greatest legacy they will receive from you will be faith".

The Pope concluded by commenting that when a baby cries it may be because he or she is hungry, and so he invited mothers to feel free to feed their babies in the Sistine Chapel if necessary.

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. www.vis.va
Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City