Love and light: Pope Francis reflects on Christ’s presentation

Pope Francis delivers his Angelus address from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 2, 2025, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. / Credit: Vatican Media CNA Newsroom, Feb 2, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA). In a profound reflection delivered during Sunday’s Angelus prayer, Pope Francis emphasized how Jesus Christ reveals the ultimate criterion by which all history is judged: love.“Whoever loves lives, whoever hates dies,” the pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.The Holy Father also renewed his urgent appeal for peace in conflict zones worldwide, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, where armed groups continue to terrorize communities and millions have been displaced. “War destroys, devastates everything, takes lives, and leads to a disregard for life itself,” he said, adding that “war is always a defeat.”Drawing from the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40), which recounts Mary and Joseph bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, Pope Francis focused his catechesis on three significant aspects of Christ revealed through Simeon’s prophecy: salvation, light, and a sign of contradiction.“God is present among his people — not because he dwells within four walls, but because he lives as a man among men,” Francis explained, highlighting the radical newness of this moment in salvation history.The pope noted how Mary and Joseph were “deeply moved and astonished” as Simeon identified Jesus through these three significant words: salvation, light, and a sign of contradiction.Explaining the first aspect, Francis emphasized that Jesus embodies universal salvation, calling it “an awe-inspiring truth emphasizing that God’s redemptive love is fully embodied in one person.”Regarding the second characteristic, the pope described how Jesus illuminates the world “much like the rising sun, dispelling the darkness of suffering, evil, and death” that continues to afflict humanity today.Finally, addressing Jesus as a sign of contradiction, Francis explained how Christ reveals the deeper truths of human hearts, with history ultimately judged by the criterion of love.Concluding his reflection, the pope encouraged the faithful to examine their spiritual expectations, asking: “What am I waiting for in my life? What is my greatest hope? Does my heart desire to see the face of the Lord?”He then invited all to pray together that Mary “may accompany us through the lights and shadows of history on our journey to the Lord.”