Vatican City: On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV officially concluded the Jubilee Year of Hope by closing the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica during a Mass attended by about 5,800 faithful.
At the beginning of the liturgy, Pope shut the last remaining Holy Door opened for the Jubilee, marking the end of months of pilgrimage in which countless men and women crossed the threshold of the Basilica as pilgrims of hope. He described them as people journeying toward the new Jerusalem, a city whose doors, he said, are always open.
In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel account of the Magi and King Herod, highlighting the contrast between joy and fear that accompanies God’s self revelation. He said the Epiphany shows that God’s presence never leaves things unchanged and always invites humanity into something new. The manifestation of Christ, he explained, puts an end to the belief that nothing new can happen and opens the present and the future to hope and light.
Pope noted that Jerusalem was troubled by the Magi’s search, even though it was a city familiar with the Scriptures. Those who think they already have all the answers, he said, can lose the ability to ask questions and to keep alive a sense of longing. This reaction, he added, is also a challenge for the Church today.
Turning to the Jubilee experience, Pope Leo invited the faithful to reflect on the searching hearts of men and women in the modern world. Like the Magi, many people still feel called to set out on a journey, even when the world appears difficult and uncertain. The Church, he said, should not fear this search but help guide it toward God, who is living and life giving and cannot be controlled or reduced to an idea.
Holy places and pilgrimage sites, Pope stressed, must communicate life and hope, showing clearly that a new world has begun. He asked whether the Church leaves space for new life to be born and whether she truly proclaims a God who sets people on a journey.
By contrast, he said, Herod represents fear rooted in the desire to protect power. Such fear, the Pope warned, blinds people. The joy of the Gospel, however, frees believers and makes them attentive, creative, and courageous enough to walk new paths.
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo said that at the heart of the Epiphany stands a gift that cannot be bought or controlled: Christ himself. Though revealed in humility at Bethlehem, he is a priceless good offered to all. Pope encouraged the faithful to continue as pilgrims of hope together, saying that if the Church remains a home rather than a monument, she can become the sign of a new dawn, guided by Mary toward a humanity transformed by God’s love made flesh.