PROCLAIMING CHRIST WITH WORDS AND THE WITNESS OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, 6 JAN 2009 (VIS) - The Pope celebrated Mass today, the Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany, in the Vatican Basilica.

  In his homily the Holy Father affirmed that Latin tradition identifies the Epiphany, "the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ", with "the Magi's visit to the Christ Child in Bethlehem and thus interprets it above all as the revelation of the Messiah of Israel to pagan peoples".

  "This year, 2009, which marks the fourth centenary of Galileo's first observations with the telescope and is especially dedicated to astronomy, we cannot but give special attention to the symbol of the star, which is very important in the Gospel story of the Magi, who were most likely astronomers".

  Benedict XVI noted that "while pagan theology divinised the elements and forces of the cosmos, Christian faith, in fulfilling Biblical revelation, contemplates one God, the Lord and Creator of all the universe".

  "Divine love, incarnated in Christ, is the fundamental and universal law of creation. It should not be understood poetically but as a reality. … This means that the stars and planets, the entire universe, are not governed by a blind force; they do not just obey the dynamics of matter. That is why cosmic elements are not to be divinised but, just the opposite, a personal will is in and over all things, the Spirit of God, which in Christ is revealed as Love. This is why", he said, "humans - as St. Paul writes to the Colossians - are not slaves of cosmic 'powers', but rather are free, are capable of interacting with God's creative freedom".

  Continuing, the Pope said that "He is at the origin of everything and governs all, not as a cold and anonymous driving force but rather as Father, Spouse, Friend, Brother, as Logos, the 'Word-Reason' who joined with our mortal flesh once for all and who has fully shared our condition, revealing the overabundant power of His grace".

  The Holy Father highlighted that "Christian thought compares the cosmos to a 'book' - as Galileo himself said - considering it the work of an author Who expresses Himself through the 'symphony' of creation".

  There is no shadow, however dark it may be, capable of overshadowing the light of Christ. This is why, for those who believe in Christ, hope never fades, not even today in the face of the severe social and economic crisis that humanity finds itself mired in, in the face of the destructive hatred and violence that does not stop covering many regions of the world in blood, in the face of the selfishness and human pretension of establishing ourselves as God that at times leads to dangerous alterations in the divine design for the life and dignity of the human being, for the family and the harmony of creation".

  Benedict XVI affirmed that "our effort to free human life and the world from the poisoning and contamination that could destroy the present and the future maintains its value and meaning - as I wrote in my Encyclical 'Spe Salvi' - even if we, apparently, do not succeed or if it seems that we are impotent in the face of hostile forces".

  "The universal lordship of Christ works upon the Church in a special way". In this context he gave assurances that "the Church is proud of nothing but her Lord: light does not proceed from her and the glory is not hers. However, it is her joy, which no one can take away, to be the 'sign and instrument' of the One who is 'lumen gentium', the light of peoples".

  The Holy Father emphasised that "the grace of God made St. Paul a star to peoples" and he invited all to pray for the pastors of the Church, "so that, taking in the Word of God daily, we might faithfully transmit it to our brothers and sisters".

  "Let us also pray", he concluded, "for the faithful, because all Christians are called by Baptism and Confirmation to proclaim Christ, the light of the world, with words and the witness of their lives".
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