Totus Tuus - Totus 2us

Pope Francis's Homily at Holy Mass      
_{St Peter's Basilica, Monday, 6 January 2014 - in Arabic, Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese & Spanish}

“'Lumen requirunt lumine'. This striking expression from a liturgical hymn for the Epiphany refers to the experience of the Magi: by following a light, they sought the Light. The star appearing in the sky kindled in their minds and their hearts a light which moved them to seek the great Light of Christ. The Magi faithfully followed this light which pervaded them interiorly, and they encountered the Lord.

In this journey of the Magi of the East is symbolized the destiny of every man: our life is a pathway, illuminated by the lights which shine on the road, to find the fullness of truth and love, which we Christians recognize in Jesus, Light of the World. And every man, like the Magi, has at his disposal two great “books” from which to draw the signs so as to orientate himself on the pilgrimage: the book of creation and the book of Sacred Scripture. What is important is to be attentive, to watch, to listen to God who speaks to us, who always speaks to us. As the Psalm says, referring to the Law of the Lord: “Your word is a lamp to my steps, light on my pathway” (Ps 119:105). Especially listening to the Gospel, reading it, meditating on it and making it our spiritual nourishment, allows us to encounter the living Jesus, to experience Him and his love.

The first reading echoes, through the prophet Isaiah, God's call to Jerusalem: “Arise, shine!” (Is 60:1). Jerusalem is called to be the city of light, which reflects God’s light to the world and helps men to walk in his ways. This is the vocation and the mission of the People of God in the world. But Jerusalem can fail to respond to this call of the Lord. The Gospel tells us that the Magi, when they reached Jerusalem, lost sight of the star for a while. They no longer saw it. In particular, its light was absent in King Herod's palace: that dwelling was gloomy, in it reigned darkness, distrust, fear and envy. Herod, in fact, showed himself to be suspicious of and preoccupied by the birth of a fragile Child whom he perceived as a rival. In reality Jesus did not come to overthrow him, a miserable puppet, but the Prince of this world! Nevertheless, the king and his counsellors felt the scaffolding of their power cracking, they feared that the rules of the game were being turned upside down, that appearances were being unmasked. A whole world built on dominion, on success, on having, on corruption, was being thrown into crisis by a Child! And Herod ended up by killing the children. “You kill the children in the flesh because fear is killing your heart” - wrote St Quodvultdeus (Sermo 2 de Symbolo: PL 40, 655). It was thus: Herod was afraid and by this fear he went mad.

The Magi were able to overcome this dangerous moment of obscurity near Herod, because they believed the Scriptures, the words of the prophets which indicated Bethlehem as the place of the Messiah's birth. Thus they escaped the torpor of the night of the world, they resumed the road towards Bethlehem and there they saw once again the star, and the Gospel says that they experienced “a great joy” (Mt 2:10). This star which could not be seen in the darkness of the worldliness of that palace.

One aspect of the light which guides us on the pathway of faith is also holy “cunning”. This is also a virtue, this holy “cunning”. It's a spiritual astuteness which enables us to recognize dangers and avoid them. The Magi knew to use this light of “cunning” when, on their way back, they decided not to pass by Herod's gloomy palace, but to go by another route. These wise men from the East teach us how not to fall into the snares of darkness and how to defend ourselves from the obscurity which seeks to envelop our lives. They, with this holy “cunning”, kept the faith. And we too must keep the faith. Keep it from this darkness. But, also, many times, a darkness disguised in light. Because the devil, says St Paul, at times dresses himself as an angel of light. And here holy “cunning” is necessary, so as to keep the faith, to keep it from the songs of the Sirens, who tell you: “Look, today we must do this, that...”. But faith is a grace, is a gift. It is up to us to keep it with this holy “cunning”, with prayer, with love, with charity. We need to welcome the light of God into our hearts and, at the same time, to cultivate this spiritual cunning which knows how to combine simplicity and astuteness, as Jesus asked his disciples: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves” (Mt 10:16).

On the feast of the Epiphany, when we recall the manifestation of Jesus to humanity in the face of a Child, may we sense the Magi close by our side, as wise companions on the road. Their example helps us to lift our gaze to the star and to follow the great desires of our hearts. They teach us not to content ourselves with a mediocre life, with “coasting it, playing it safe”, but to let ourselves always be fascinated by what is good, true and beautiful… by God, who is all of this, in an always greater way! And they teach us not to let ourselves be deceived by appearances, by that which for the world is great, wise, powerful. We must not stop there. It is necessary to keep the faith. In these times this is so important: to keep the faith. We must go further, beyond the darkness, beyond the fascination of the Sirens, beyond worldliness, beyond so many forms of modernity that exist today, to go to Bethlehem, there where, in the simplicity of a house on the periphery, between a mummy and daddy full of love and faith, shines forth the Sun come from on high, the King of the universe. Following the example of the Magi, may we, with our little lights, seek the Light and keep the faith. So be it."