Nations in darkness still need light from Bethlehem, Pope says

Monday, 07 January 2008 07:16

Sends Christmas greetings to Eastern Christians 

Vatican, Jan. 7, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The revelation of Jesus Christ, embodied in the Church, offers hope to a world that struggles in darkness, Pope Benedict XVI said as he offered Mass to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

When they came to worship the Christ Child, the Holy Father said, the Magi saw "the manifestation of the universal King to all peoples, and to all men and women who seek the truth." His Incarnation, the Pope said, shows "the faithful and tenacious love of God, whose covenant never fails from generation to generation."

In his homily during the Sunday Mass in St. Peter's basilica, the Pope recalled how God's promise sustained the Hebrews throughout the trials recounted in the Old Testament. Christ's coming offered a new and complete revelation of God's love.

The world's nations still struggle in darkness, just as they did at the time of Christ's birth, the Pope said. But to those who recognize the truth of the Gospel, the Church offers the greatest source of hope, which comes from "not any god, but the God Who has a human face."

Those who do not perceive this truth, and grasp this hope, are prone to futility, the Pope continued. He cited the political struggles of those who seek a man-made utopia, along with the "conflicts for economic supremacy and for the monopolization of energy and water resources and raw materials." Those conflicts, he said, betray an imbalance of mind.

"If there is great hope, it becomes possible to persevere soberly," the Pope explained. "If true hope is lacking, happiness is sought in inebriation, in superfluity, in excess, in the ruination of oneself and of the world."

Christians, who enjoy great hope, must share the good news with the world, the Pontiff said later in the day, during a midday Angelus audience, speaking to a rain-soaked crowed in St. Peter's Square. "The star that guided the Magi ceased its function, but its spiritual light remains present in the words of the Gospel." He urged every Christian to bear witness to that Gospel today, guiding others to the truth.

Before concluding his Angelus audience, the Pontiff sent Christmas greetings to the Eastern churches which would celebrate the Nativity on January 7, in accordance with the Julian calendar. Their celebration, Pope Benedict said, bears witness to "the multi-faceted richness of rites" within the Church.