Pope at Epiphany: Church must
grow in adoration
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| Pope Francis at the Mass for Epiphany (Vatican Media) |
During the Mass for the Solemnity of Epiphany, Pope Francis
reflects on the meaning of adoration.
By Christopher Wells
Worship – adoration – “is the end and goal” of the journey
of the Magi, the focus of the Solemnity of Epiphany. “Once we lose the sense of
worship,” Pope Francis said in his homily, “we lose our direction in Christian
life, which is a journey towards the Lord, not towards ourselves”.
The risk of being unable to worship
The Gospel, he said, warns about the risks for those who are
incapable of worship. From Herod, “who used the word ‘worship’, but only to
deceive”, we learn that “when we do not worship God, we end up worshipping
ourselves”. The chief priests and scribes, likewise, are incapable of worship.
Although they know the prophecies, “and can quote them exactly”, they are
unable to go there themselves. “In the Christian life”, the Pope said, “it is
not enough to be knowledgeable, unless we step out of ourselves, unless we
encounter others, and worship, we cannot know God”.
Faith demands worship
Pope Francis prayed that at the start of the new year, we
might “discover anew that faith demands worship”. Adoration, he said, “means
putting the Lord at the centre, not ourselves”.
He explained that worship means “making space for God’s
plan”, realizing that we belong with God, and “being able to speak to him
freely and intimately”. Worship, the Pope said, means discovering that, “in
order to pray, it is enough to say ‘My Lord and my God’ and to allow ourselves
to be pervaded by His tender love”.
Adoration frees us from modern idols
By praying in adoration, Pope Francis continued, “we allow
Jesus to heal and to change us… to transform us by His love, to kindle light
amid our darkness, to grant us strength in weakness, and courage amid trials”.
Worshipping God, he said, frees us from slavery to the idols of today, which
must not be worshipped, such as “the god of money, the god of consumerism, the
god of pleasure, the god of success, the god of self”. The Pope said that
“worship means bending low before the Most High, and discovering in His
presence that life’s greatness consists not in having, but in loving”.
The meaning of our journey
“Many Christians pray, but they do not worship”, Pope
Francis said. “It is up to us, as a Church, to put into practice the words we
prayed in today’s psalm: ‘All the peoples of the earth will worship you, O
Lord”. Only then, he said, will we too discover “like the Magi, the meaning of
our journey”.
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