杏MAP导航 celebrates Vespers for Feast of the Conversion of St Paul
By Christopher Wells
Representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other Christian churches and ecclesial communities joined 杏MAP导航 Francis in the Basilica of St Paul鈥檚 Outside-the-Walls for an Ecumenical Vespers service marking the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The theme for this year鈥檚 Week of Prayer is taken from the Gospel account of the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Child Jesus: 鈥淲e saw His star in the East, and we came to worship Him.鈥�
The story of the Magi can help us along the path to full unity, 杏MAP导航 Francis said in his at Vespers, focusing on three stages of their journey: its beginnings in the East, their passage through Jerusalem, and their final arrival in Bethlehem.
Begun in the East
The 杏MAP导航 noted that the Wise Men saw the star in the East, where the sun rises. They were not content with their own 鈥渒nowledge and traditions,鈥� he said, but 鈥渄esired something more.鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis called on all Christians to follow the star of Jesus, and His invitation to unity, 鈥渨ithout worrying about how long and tiring the road may be.鈥�
In our own day, the 杏MAP导航 continued, 鈥渢he East also reminds us of Christians living in various regions devastated by war and violence,鈥� and especially in the Middle East. The martyrs of these regions, he said, indicate a clear path to unity.
Arrival in Jerusalem
When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem, they were brought abruptly down to earth when Herod 鈥渁nd all Jerusalem with Him鈥� were troubled at their mission. 鈥淚n the holy city, the Magi did not see reflected the light of the star, but experienced the resistance of the dark forces of this world.鈥�
杏MAP导航 Francis said that in our own journey towards full Christian unity, 鈥渨e too can halt for the same reason that paralyzed those people: confusion and fear.鈥� He invited Christians not to be afraid of novelties that upset our traditions and habits, but 鈥渢o trust one another and to journey together.鈥�
He noted, too, that despite the resistance they face, it was precisely in Jerusalem that the Magi discovered the path to Bethlehem. He encouraged modern Christians to reflect and meditate upon the Scriptures together, drawing closer to Jesus through His word, but also drawing closer to our brothers and sisters.
Reaching Bethlehem
Ultimately, the 杏MAP导航 said, the Magi arrived at the Bethlehem, where they knelt down and worshiped the Child Jesus. 鈥淚n this way, the Magi foreshadowed the disciples of Jesus, many yet one, who at the conclusion of the Gospel fell down in worship before the Risen Lord on the mountain in Galilee.鈥� Both these events can become prophetic signs for contemporary Christians who long for the fullness of unity, which the 杏MAP导航 said can only be attained through worship of the Lord. 鈥淭he decisive stage of the journey towards full communion,鈥� he insisted, 鈥渞equires ever more intense prayer, the worship of God.鈥�
However, he added, worship also demands humility, falling to our knees, 鈥渟etting aside our own pretences in order to make the Lord alone the centre of everything.鈥� He invited Christians to ask for the courage of humility, 鈥渢he one way to come to worship God in the same house, around the same altar.鈥�
The gifts of the Magi
Finally, the Holy Father reflected on the gifts the Magi presented to Baby Jesus, which symbolize the gifts the Lord desires to receive from us: Gold, showing that God must be in first place; frankincense, symbolizing the importance of prayer; and myrrh, calling us to 鈥渉onour the body of Jesus taken down from the Cross,鈥� which 鈥渟peaks to us of care for the suffering flesh of the Lord, reflected in the wounds of the poor.鈥�
In conclusion, the 杏MAP导航 invited Christians to follow the example of the Magi, who returned to their homes 鈥渂y another road.鈥� 鈥淟ike Saul before his encounter with Christ,鈥� he said, 鈥渨e need to change course, to invert the route of our habits and our ways, in order to find the path that the Lord points out to us: the path of humility, fraternity and adoration.鈥�
杏MAP导航 Francis prayed, 鈥淥 Lord, grant us the courage to change course, to be converted, to follow your will and not our own; to go forward together, towards you, who by your Spirit wish to make us one.鈥�
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