Mass of the Epiphany: Pope Francis recalls the meaning of adoration

Last updated: Thu 31 Mar 2022 PM

On this Day of the Epiphany (celebrated in the Vatican and in Italy on the fixed date of January 6, and not on the first Sunday of January as in France), Pope Francis centred his homily on the meaning of the verb "to adore", thus inviting us to follow the Magi in their sincerity and humility towards Jesus.

"If we lose the meaning of adoration, we lose the meaning of the journey of Christian life, which is a journey towards the Lord, not towards us," warned Francis. "This is the risk against which the Gospel warns us, by presenting, next to the Magi, characters who are unable to adore."

This is the case of the king "Herod, who uses the verb to adore, but with a false intention", asking the Magi to tell him the place of Jesus' birth, under the pretext of being able to come and adore him. "In reality, Herod only worshipped himself," the Pope recalled. This shows that "man, when he does not adore God, is led to adore his own self. And even the Christian life, without adoring the Lord, can become a refined means of affirming oneself and one's talent," he warned.

Another counter-example is offered by "the chief priests and the scribes of the people. They point out to Herod, with extreme precision, where the Messiah would be born: in Bethlehem of Judea. They know the prophecies and quote them accurately. They know where to go, but they do not go there," the Pope said, before launching this challenge: "In the Christian life, it is not enough to know: without going out of oneself, without meeting, without adoring, one does not know God. Theology and pastoral effectiveness are of little or no use if one does not bend one's knees; if one does not do as the Magi did, who were not only wise organizers of a journey, but who walked and worshipped".

Worship, a standard of sincerity and humility in faith

"At the beginning of the year, let us rediscover adoration as a requirement of faith. If we know how to kneel before Jesus, we will overcome the temptation to continue walking on our own," said Pope Francis. "To adore, in fact, is to accomplish an exodus from the greatest slavery, that of oneself. To adore is to put the Lord at the centre so as not to be centred on ourselves. It's putting things in their place, leaving God in the first place."

"To adore is to make oneself small in the presence of the Most High, to discover before Him that the greatness of life does not consist in having, but in loving," explained the Bishop of Rome. To adore is to rediscover ourselves as brothers and sisters before the mystery of love that overcomes all distance: it is to draw good from the source, it is to find in the close God the courage to approach others. To adore is to be silent before the divine Word, to learn to speak words that do not hurt, but that comfort."

To be in a dynamic of love, following in the footsteps of the Magi

"To adore is a life-changing gesture of love," explained Francis, detailing the symbolism of the Magi's offerings to Jesus. It is to do as the Magi did: it is to bring gold to the Lord, to tell him that nothing is more precious than him; it is to offer him incense, to tell him that only with him our life rises upwards; it is to present him with myrrh, with which wounded and mutilated bodies were anointed, to promise Jesus to help our marginalised and suffering neighbour, because there he is present".

"Many Christians who pray do not know how to adore," warned Francis. "Let us find time for adoration in our days and create spaces for adoration in our communities. By adoring, we too will discover, like the Magi, the meaning of our journey. And, like the Magi, we will experience "a very great joy," the Holy Father concluded.

Source: Vatican News