Church's evangelical mission is to reflect the light of Christ, Pope says at Epiphany

January 06, 2016

”The Church cannot delude herself into thinking that she shines with her own light,” Pope Francis said in his homily at a Mass for the feast of the Epiphany.

The Pope went on to cite the thought of St. Ambrose, who likened the Church to the moon, reflecting the light from the sun. “The light is the glory of the Lord,” he said.

The role of the Church, the Pope continued, is to reflect the light of God’s truth, so that others will see it. He said that “for the Church to be missionary means to give expression to her very nature, which is to receive God’s light and then to reflect it. There is no other way.”

The Magi, in their quest for truth, sought the explanation for a mysterious light from a star, the Pope remarks. “Like the Magi, countless people, in our own day, have a “restless heart” which continues to seek without finding sure answers.”

Later, in his Angelus audience, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to imitate the Magi in their zeal for the truth. Christians should fight against the temptation to become preoccupied with worldly concerns, he said, so that “our hearts and our minds are open to the horizons of God.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis: Church doesn’t shine with its own light (Vatican Radio)
• Pope Angelus: Don’t scrape a living & settle for mediocrity (Vatican Radio)