Vatican City, 6 January 2015 (VIS) –
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Square, Pope
Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with
the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The Holy Father, returning to the theme
of the journey of the wise men, remarked that “with their act of
adoration, the Magi testify that Jesus came to earth to save not just
one people, but all peoples” and, therefore on the Epiphany “our
gaze extends to the horizon of the whole world to celebrate the
manifestation of the Lord to all people, that is, the manifestation
of God’s love and universal salvation”.
“As the Creator and Father of all, he
wishes to be the Saviour of all”, he continued. “This is why we
are always required to nurture great trust and hope in every person
and in his salvation: even those who appear to be far from the Lord
are followed – or rather “pursued” – by His impassioned -and
faithful love”.
The Gospel account of the Magi
describes their journey from the East as “a journey of the soul, a
journey towards the encounter with Christ. They are attentive to the
signs that point to His presence; they are tireless in facing the
difficulties of their search; they are courageous in coping with the
consequences of their encounter with the Lord. ... The experience of
the Magi evokes every man’s journey to Christ. … The star that is
able to guide every person to Jesus is the Word of God, which is the
light that directs our journey, nourishes our faith and regenerates
it”. Therefore, Pope Francis emphasised, “We must not forget to
read it and to meditate on it every day, so that it may be a flame we
carry within us to illuminate our steps and the steps of those who
walk beside us, who perhaps struggle to find their way to Christ”.
The Holy Father went on to mention “our
brothers and sisters in the Christian East, Catholics and Orthodox,
many of whom celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord tomorrow”, and sent
them a warm greeting.
Finally, he remarked that today we
celebrate the World Day of Missionary Childhood, “dedicated to
children who joyfully live the gift of faith and pray that the light
of Jesus might reach all the children of the world. I encourage
teachers to nurture the missionary spirit in the young so that
witnesses of God's tenderness and heralds of His love might be born
among them”.
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