Pope at Epiphany Mass: Life鈥檚 journey should lead us to the Lord
By Devin Watkins
As the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on Friday, Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica, and reflected on the journey of the Magi.
He focused on three ways in which we can encounter the Lord in our daily lives: restless questioning, the risk of the journey, and the wonder of worship.
Restlessness of the heart
The first place we should seek the Lord, said the Pope, is in 鈥渞estless questioning鈥�, which helps us put aside our apathy and confront life鈥檚 important questions.
A probing mind, added Pope Francis, challenges us to yearn for the infinite and set out on a 鈥渜uest for the transcendent that inspires the progress of civilizations鈥�.
The journey of faith can only begin when鈥攂y God鈥檚 grace鈥攚e grow restless of our daily routine and begin to examine seriously our relationships with others, as well as our dreams and fears.
Against soul-numbing creature comforts
Daily life, said the Pope, offers us many 鈥渢ranquilizers of the soul鈥� that seek to drown out those questions.
Instead, he added, we turn our attention to creature comforts like the promises of pleasure, non-stop news coverage, and even the 鈥渋dolatry of fitness鈥�.
Risks of faith journey
The second place we can encounter the Lord is in 鈥渢he risk of journeying鈥�, since every pilgrimage entails real risks that must be overcome to arrive at our destination.
鈥淨uestioning, including spiritual questioning, can lead to frustration and desolation,鈥� he said, 鈥渦nless we embark upon a journey, unless we turn ourselves, in the depths of our being, to the face of God and the beauty of His word.鈥�
Our faith, said Pope Francis, is a 鈥渃ontinuous journey in constant dialogue with the Lord鈥�, as we bring every aspect of our lives to Him in prayer.
Personal devotion and even consistent Mass attendance are not enough to allow our faith to grow. 鈥淲e need to bring it outside and to live it in a constant journey towards God and towards our brothers and sisters,鈥� he said.
Adoring the Lord in personal encounter
The third and final stage on our journey of faith, said the Pope, winds up in the 鈥渨onder of worship.鈥�
鈥淥ur restlessness, our questioning, our spiritual journeys and the practice of our faith must all converge in worship of the Lord,鈥� he said.
Adoration, added Pope Francis off-the-cuff, has fallen by the wayside in our modern world, and each of us needs to recover the wonder of adoring God.
鈥淓verything starts and ends there,鈥� he concluded, 鈥渂ecause the purpose of everything is not to achieve a personal goal or to receive glory for ourselves, but to encounter God.鈥�
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