Until Zenit or the Vatican Press Office itself issue an official translation of the Pope's homily today at the Mass of the Epiphany, here is a translation of the Italian text released by the Vatican Press Office -
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Dear sisters and brothers!
The light which shone the night of Christmas to illuminate the grotto in Bethlehem, where Mary, Joseph and the shepherds remained in silent adoration, shines today and is seen by all. The Epiphany is a mystery of light, represented symbolically by the star that guided the Magi.
But the true source of light, the “sun that arises from on high” (Lk 1,78) is Christ. In the mystery of Christmas, Christ’s light radiates on earth, spreading itself in concentric circles. First on the Holy Family of Nazareth: the Virtgin Mary and Joseph are illuminated by the divine presence of the Baby Jesus. The light of the Redeemer shows itself next to the shepherds of Bethlehem, who, having been informed by the Angel, run right away to the grotto and there find the “sign” that was announced to them: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger (cfr Lk 2,12). The shepeherds, together with Mary and Joseph, represent the “rest of Israel”, the poor, to whom the Good News has been announced. The brilliance of Christ finally reaches the Magi, who represent the “first fruits” among the pagans (gentiles).
The palaces of power in Jerusalem remain in darkness, there where the news of the Messiah’s birth had been brought, paradoxically, by the Magi, where it gave rise not to joy but to fear and hostile reactions. Mysterious divine design! - “the light came to the world, but men preferred the darkness to the light, ebcause their works were evil” (Jn 3, 19).
But what is this light? Is it merely a suggestive metaphor, or does a reality correspond to this image? The apostle John writes in his first letter: “God is light, and in him there are no shadows” (1 Jn, 1.5); and later, he adds: “God is love.” These two statements, taken together, help us to understand better: the light which came forth at Christmas, which now shines before men, is the love of God, revealed in the person of the Word made flesh.
Attracted by this light, the Magi came from the East. In the mystery of the Epiphany, therefore, alongside an outward movement of radiation, there is also a movement of attraction towards the center, which completes a movement written down in the Old Testament.
The source of such dynamism is God, One in Substance and Three Persons, who attracts everything and everyone to him. The Person of the Incarnate Word presents himself as the principle of reconciliation and universal recapitulation )cfr Ef 1,9-10). He is the final end of history, the point of arrival of an “exodus”, of a providential way of redemption, which culminated in his death and resurrection.
Because of this, to observe the solemnity of the Epiphany, the liturgy provides the so-called “Announcement of Easter”. The liturgical year, in fact, summarizes the entire arch of the story of salvation, at the center of which is “the Triduum of the Lord crucified, buried and resurrected.”
In the liturgy of Christmastime, a verse from Psalm 97 recurs frequently like a refrain: “The Lord has shown his salvation, to the eyes of the people he has revealed his justice” (v. 2). They are words which the Church uses to underline the “epiphanic” dimension of the Incarnation: the Son of God becoming Man, his entrance into history, the culminating moment of God’s self-revelation to Israel and all mankind. In the Baby of Bethlehem, God has shown himself humbly in “human form”, in the “condition of a servant”, indeed as the crucified one (cfr Fil 2,6-8). This is the Christian paradox.
It is precisely this “hiding himself" that constitutes the most eloquent “manifestation” of God: The humility, the poverty, the very ignominy of the Passion let us know who God truly is.
The face of the Son faithfully reveals that of the Father. That is why the mystery of Christmas is, so to speak, all an “epiphany.” The manifestation to the Magi does not add
anything to God’s design, but it reveals a lasting and constituitive dimension, that is, that the gentiles are called –through and in Jesus Christ – to take part in the same legacy, to be part of the same body that participates in the (God’s) promise (to Israel) through the gospel. (Ef 3,6).
At a superficial glance, God’s loyalty to Israel and his manifestation to the gentiles can appear two aspects that are quite different: they are really two sides of a coin. In fact, according to Scriptures, it is precisely in keeping faith with his pact of love with the people of Israel that God reveals his glory even to other peoples. “Grace and loyalty”(Ps 88,2),
“mercy and truth” (Ps 84,11), are contained in the glory of God, they are his “name”, destined to become known and to be blessed by men of every language and nation.
But this “content” is inseparable from the “method” which God chose to reveal himself, that is, of absolute faith to the alliance, which reaches its peak in Christ. The Lord Jesus is, at the same time and inseparably, “light to illumine the gentiles, and glory of his people Israel” (Lk 2,32), as the old man Simeon exclaimed, inspired by God, holding the Baby in his arms when his parents presented him at the temple.
The light that illumines the gentiles – the light of the Epiphany – comes from the glory of Israel, the glory of the Messiah - born, in accordance with the Scriptures, in Bethlehem, “city of David” (Lk 2,4).
The Magi adored a simple Baby in the arms of his Mother Mary, because they recognized in him the source of the double light that had guided them: the light of the star and the light of Scriptures. They recognized in him the King of the Jews, glory of Israel, but also the King of all peoples.
In the liturgical contezt of the Epiphany, the mystery of the Church and its missionary dimension are also manifested. The Church is called to make the light of Christ shine in the world, reflecting it in herself as the moon reflects the light of the sun. The Church is the fulfillment of ancient prophecies referring to the holy city of Jerusalem, as in the wondrous words of Isaiah that we heard earlier: “Arise, clothed in light, so that your light may come forth...men will walk toward your light, kings towards the splendor of your source” (Is 80,1-3).
Christ’s disciples should achieve this: taught by Him to live according to the Beatitudes, they should attract, through love, all men towards God: “And so your light will shine before men, because they see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5, 16). Listening to these words of Jesus, we, members of the Church, cannot but be aware of all the inadequacies of our human condition, which is marked by sin. The Church is holy, but made up of men and women with their limitations and errors. Christ, and only He, in giving us the Holy Spirit, can transform our misery and renew us constantly. He is the light of the people, lumen gentium, who has chosen to illuminate the world through his Church )cfr Conc, Vat. II, Cst. Lumen gentium, 1).
“How can this come about?” we ask, in the same words that the Virgin addressed to the archnagel Gabriel. It is she, Mother of Christ and of the Church, who offers us a reply: with her example of total submission to the will of God – “fiat mihi secundum verbun tuum”, “Be it done unto me according to they word” (Lk 1,38). She teaches us to be the “epiphany” of the Lord, in opening our hearts to the power of grace, and in loyal adherence to the words of his Son, light of the world and the ultimate goal of history.
Let it be so! (Cosi sia!)*
*
The Pope uses the Italian phrase, instead of the usual Amen to end his homily.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 06/01/2006 16.56]