God rejects and forgets no one, says Pope on Epiphany Feast

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Just as the star above Bethlehem called and welcomed all to meet the newborn Jesus, God today calls the faithful to welcome all, creating safe spaces and open to find warmth and shelter, Pope Francis said.

The star is in the sky not to remain distant and inaccessible, he said, “but so that its light is visible to all, reaches every home and overcomes all barriers, bringing ‘hope in the most remote and forgotten corners of the world’. planet,” he said.

“He is in heaven so that he can tell everyone, through his generous light, that God neither refuses nor forgets anyone,” the pope said Jan. 6, celebrating Mass for the feast of the Epiphany in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“God does not reveal himself to exclusive groups or a privileged few, but offers his companionship and guidance to those who seek him with a sincere heart,” he said in his homily. “God seeks everyone, always. »

“We would do well to meditate on this today, in a world where individuals and nations are equipped with ever more powerful means of communication and yet seem less and less willing to understand, accept and encounter the other in its diversity! » he said.

That’s why many nativity scenes depict the wise men “with the characteristics of all ages and races” to characterize the many different people on earth, Pope Francis said.

“God calls us to reject everything that discriminates, excludes or rejects people, and to promote, in our communities and neighborhoods, a strong culture of welcome, in which narrow spaces of fear and denunciation are replaced by spaces open to meeting and integrating. and sharing of life; safe spaces where everyone can find warmth and shelter,” he said.

God does not reject or forget anyone because “he is a father whose greatest joy is to see his children return home,” he said, “building bridges, opening paths, seeking those who are lost and carrying on their shoulders those who struggle to walk.” so that no one is left behind and everyone can share the joy of their father’s house.

“The star speaks to us of God’s dream that men and women around the world, in all their rich diversity, will together form one family capable of living harmoniously in prosperity and peace,” he said .

The Star of Bethlehem is the light of God’s love, he said, and “it is the only light that will make us happy.”

“This light also calls us to give of ourselves for each other, becoming, with its help, a mutual sign of hope, even in the darkest nights of our lives,” he said.

“Let us ask the Lord that we may be shining lights that can lead one another to meet Him,” he said.

Speaking of the current Holy Year and the Jubilee practice of pilgrimage, the Pope said: “The light of the star invites us to undertake an inner journey which, as Saint John Paul II wrote (for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000), frees our hearts from everything that is not charity, in order to “encounter Christ fully, professing our faith in him and receiving the abundance of his mercy”.

While Pope Francis and thousands of people attended mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, thousands more lined the main boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square for the traditional, folkloric celebration of the Epiphany. Marching bands and people in Renaissance costumes paraded down the street behind the Three Wise Men on horseback.

Before reciting the Angelus at noon in the square, the pope said: “Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us so that, imitating the shepherds and the wise men, we can recognize Jesus near us, in the Eucharist, among the poor, among the abandoned, among our brothers and sisters,” he declared.

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