Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis used his homily on the Feast of the Epiphany to urge Catholics to never stop seeking God.

“Like the Magi, countless people, in our own day, have a restless heart which continues to seek without finding sure answers,” the Pope said this morning. “They too are looking for a star to show them the path to Bethlehem.”

These Magi represent every man and woman throughout the world who are welcomed into God’s house, the Pope said, noting that before Jesus, ‘all divisions of race, language and culture disappear: in that Child, all humanity discovers its unity.’

The Church, then, ‘has the task of seeing and showing ever more clearly the desire for God which is present in the heart of every man and woman,’ the Pope added.

“This is the service of the Church: with the light, to reflect and to show the desire for God that each person carries inside of themselves,” he said.

The Holy Father encouraged those listening to ask themselves the same question as the Magi in the Gospel: “Where is the child who has been born the King of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” He highlighted the importance, particularly in our age, of seeking the signs God is giving and of realising the great effort that is needed to interpret these signs and therefore understand the will of God. We are challenged, he said, ‘to go to Bethlehem, to find the Child and his Mother. Let us follow the light which God offers us!’

After Mass Pope Francis led pilgrims in praying the traditional Angelus prayer, telling them that the experience of the Magi ‘impels us not to accept mediocrity, not to ‘just get along,’ but to search for the meaning of things, to passionately scrutinise the great mystery of life.’

“They teach us not to be scandalised by littleness and poverty, but to recognise the majesty of humility and to know how to kneel before it,” he said.

Once he concluded the prayer, the Pope extended his greeting to Eastern Christians, Catholic and Orthodox, many of whom celebrate Christmas on January 7, the day after the Epiphany.

PA Pic: Pope Francis kisses during statue of baby Jesus a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican this morning to mark the Epiphany, a joyous day for Catholics in which they recall the journey of the Three Kings, or Magi, to pay homage to Baby Jesus