Pope Francis presides over Mass on the Solemnity of Epiphany and reminds us that our journey through life may involve questions and turbulent risks, but should ultimately lead us to worship 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. Petersburg. St. Peter’s Basilica, and reflected on the journey of the Magi.
He focused on three ways we can encounter the Lord in our daily lives: the restless questioning, the risk of the journey, and the wonder of worship.
Restlessness of the heart
The first place we should seek the Lord, the Pope said, is in “agitated questioning,” which helps us put aside our apathy and face the important questions of life.
A penetrating spirit, added by Pope Francis, challenges us to aspire to infinity and embarks on a “quest for the transcendent that inspires the progress of civilizations”.
The journey of faith can only begin when, by the grace of God, we worry about our daily routines and begin to seriously examine our relationships with others, as well as our dreams and fears.
Pope Francis at Mass
Against the comfort of numbing creatures
Daily life, the Pope said, offers us many “soul tranquilizers” that seek to quell these questions.
Instead, he added, we turn our attention to creature comforts like promises of pleasure, uninterrupted media coverage, and even “idolatry of fitness.”
Pope Francis at Mass
The risks of the journey of faith
The second place where we can meet the Lord is in “the risk of the journey”, because every pilgrimage involves real risks that must be overcome to reach our destination.
“Questioning, including spiritual questioning, can lead to frustration and desolation,” he said, “unless we embark on a journey, unless we turn, at most depth of our being, towards the face of God and the beauty of his word.”
Our faith, Pope Francis said, is a “continuous journey in constant dialogue with the Lord,” as we bring every aspect of our lives to Him in prayer.
Personal devotion and even constant attendance at Mass are not enough to allow our faith to grow. “We have to bring it out and live it in a constant journey towards God and towards our brothers and sisters,” he said.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle celebrated at the altar
Adoring the Lord in Personal Encounter
The third and final stage of our journey of faith, the pope said, ends with the “wonder of worship.”
“Our restlessness, our questioning, our spiritual journeys and the practice of our faith must all converge in the worship of the Lord,” he said.
Worship, Pope Francis added off the cuff, has fallen by the wayside in our modern world, and each of us needs to rediscover the wonder of worshiping God.
“It all begins and ends there,” he concluded, “because the point of everything is not to achieve a personal goal or to receive glory for ourselves, but to meet God.”
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