Pope Francis is not spared. Even during the hospitalization he continues to guide the Church and make decisions. And while thousands of faithful are alternating in St. Peter’s Square to pass the Holy Door and pray for him, he continues to keep contacts, like those with The parish of Gaza, to whom he continues to call to support the parish priest and the over 700 people assisted by the outbreak of the war. It is also proceeding with the usual Appointments in key placeswith that of the Governorate where he has, for the first time, settled a woman, Sister Raffaella Petrini. Furthermore, there were the appointments of the bishops of Bubanza (Emmanuel Ntakarutimana, Op) and Ruana (Léonidas Nitereka), in Burundi, Kevin Doran as Bishop of Achonry (Ireland), of the Italian Giuseppe Luigi Spiga in Grajaú (Brazil), Pierre Charland, a Franciscan provincial provincial in Canada, to Bishop of Baie-Comeau. Finally, the Pope did not want to miss his preaching for Wednesday, the day of general hearing. And so, Although the meeting was canceled, Francesco wanted the text prepared on the theme of Jesus our hope to be widespread. We propose it in full
Reading: Mt 2.9-11
Here is the star, who (the Magi) had seen sprouting them, preceded them, until he arrived and stopped above the place where the child was located. At seeing the star, they tried a great joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, they prostrated and loved him.
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the Gospels of the childhood of Jesus there is an episode that is precisely of Matteo’s narrative: the visit of the Magi. Attracted by the appearance of a star, which in many cultures is an omen of the birth of exceptional people, some wise men travel from the East, without knowing exactly the destination of their going. These are the Magi, people who do not belong to the people of the alliance. Last time we talked about the shepherds of Bethlehem, marginalized in Jewish society because they are considered “impure”; Today we meet another category, the foreigners, who immediately come to pay homage to the Son of God who entered history with a completely unprecedented royal. The Gospels therefore clearly tell us that the poor and foreigners are invited among the first to meet the child made child, the savior of the world.
The Magi were considered as representatives of both primigenies’ breeds, generated by the three children of Noah, both of the three continents known in antiquity: Asia, Africa and Europe, and the three phases of human life: youth, maturity and old age. Beyond any possible interpretation, they are men who do not remain still but, like the great called of biblical history, they feel the invitation to move, to start on the way. They are men who know how to look beyond oneself, they know how to look up.
The attraction for the star arose in the sky puts them on the land of Judah, up to Jerusalem, where they meet the King Herod. Their naivety and their trust in asking for information about the newborn king of the Jews clashes with the shrewdness of Herod, who, agitated by the fear of losing the throne, immediately tries to see us clearly, contacting the scribes and asking them to investigate them .
The power of the reigning ground thus shows all its weakness. The experts know the scriptures and report the place where, according to the prophecy of Michea, the chief and shepherd of the people of Israel (Mi 5.1) refer: little Bethlehem and not the great Jerusalem! In fact, as Paolo Ai Corinzi recalls, “what is weak for the world, God has chosen him to confuse the strong” (1Cor 1,27).
However, the scribes, who know how to identify exactly the birthplace of the Messiah, indicate the way to others but they don’t move themselves! It is not enough, in fact, to know the prophetic texts to tune in to the divine frequencies, we must let yourself be dug inside and allow the Word of God to revive the yearning to research, turns on the desire to see God. At this point Herod, secretly, as The deceptions and violent acts, asks the Magi the precise moment of the appearance of the star and incites them to continue the journey and then return to give him news, so that he too can go and love the newborn. For those who are attached to power, Jesus is not hope to welcome, but a threat to be eliminated! When the Magi start again, the star reappears and leads them to Jesus, a sign that the creation and the prophetic word represent the alphabet with which God speaks and lets himself be found. The sight of the star raises an irrepressible joy in those men, because the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart of anyone looking for God with sincerity, also fills him with joy. Entered the house, the Magi prostrano, love
Jesus and offer him precious gifts, worthy of a king, worthy of God. Why? What do they see? An ancient author writes: they see “a humble body that the verb has taken on; But they are not hidden the glory of divinity. You can see an infant child; But they love God “(Cromazio of Aquileia, commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 5,1). The Magi thus become the first believers among all the pagans, an image of the church gathered by every language and nation.
Dear brothers and sisters, let’s also put us in the school of the Magi, of these “pilgrims of hope” who, with great courage, turned their steps, their hearts and their goods towards the one who is the hope not only of Israel but of all the people. We learn to worship God in his smallness, in his royalty that does not crush but makes free and capable of serving with dignity. And offering him the most beautiful gifts, to express our faith and our love.
