The greatness of the mystery of Jesus can only be known by humbling oneself and lowering oneself as he did, who went so far as to be "marginalised" and certainly did not present himself as a "general or a governor". Theologians themselves, if they do not do 'theology on their knees', risk saying 'many things' but understanding 'nothing'. To be humble and meek, therefore, is the suggestion proposed by Francis on Tuesday morning, 2 December, during the Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta.

"The liturgical texts that the Church offers us today," the Pontiff immediately pointed out, "bring us closer to the mystery of Jesus, to the mystery of his person". And in fact, he explained, the liturgical passage in Luke's Gospel (10:21-24) "says that Jesus exulted with joy in the Holy Spirit and praised the Father". After all, 'this is Jesus' inner life: his relationship with the Father, a relationship of praise, in the Spirit, the very Holy Spirit who unites that relationship'. And this is "the mystery of Jesus' interiority, what he felt".

Jesus in fact," Francis continued, "declares that whoever sees him, sees the Father. He says precisely: 'Yes, O Father, for so you have decided in your goodness'. And 'no one knows who the Son is, except the Father. And no one knows who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him'.

The Father, the Pope reiterated, 'only the Son knows him: Jesus knows the Father'. And so "when Philip went to Jesus and said: 'show us the Father'", the Lord answered him: "Philip, whoever sees me, sees the Father". In fact "the union between them is so great: he is the imago of the Father; he is the nearness of the Father's tenderness to us". And "the Father draws near to us in Jesus".

Francis then recalled that 'in that farewell discourse, after the Supper', Jesus repeats many times: 'Father, let these be one, as you and I are'. And "he promises the Holy Spirit, because it is the Holy Spirit who makes this unity, as he makes it between the Father and the Son". And "Jesus exults with joy in the Holy Spirit".

"This is a bit to approach this mystery of Jesus," the Pontiff explained. But "this mystery did not remain only among them, it was revealed to us". The Father, therefore, "has been revealed by Jesus: he makes us know the Father; he makes us know this interior life that he has". And "to whom does the Father reveal this, to whom does he give this grace?" the Pope asked himself. Jesus himself gives the answer, as Luke reports in his Gospel: "I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to the little ones".

Therefore "only those whose hearts are like little ones are capable of receiving this revelation". Only "the humble, meek heart, which feels the need to pray, to open itself to God, feels poor". In a word, 'only the one who goes ahead with the first beatitude: the poor in spirit'.

Of course, the Pope acknowledged, 'many can know science, theology as well'. But 'if they do not do this theology on their knees, that is, humbly, like the little ones, they will understand nothing'. Perhaps "they will tell us many things, but they will understand nothing". For "only this poverty is capable of receiving the revelation that the Father gives through Jesus". And "Jesus comes not as a captain, a general of an army, a powerful ruler", but "he comes as a sprout", according to the image of the first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah (11, 1-10): "On that day, a sprout will spring from the trunk of Jesse". So, "he is a sprout, he is humble, he is meek, and he came for the humble, for the meek, to bring salvation to the sick, the poor, the oppressed, as he himself says in the fourth chapter of Luke, when he is at the synagogue in Nazareth". And Jesus came precisely 'for the marginalised: he marginalises himself, he does not consider it an undeniable value to be equal to God'. In fact, the Pontiff recalled, 'he humbled himself, he annihilated himself'. He "marginalised himself, he humbled himself" in order to "give us the mystery of the Father and his own".

The Pope remarked that "one cannot receive this revelation outside of the way Jesus brings it: in humility, lowering himself". One can never forget that "the Word became flesh, became marginalised in order to bring salvation to the marginalised". And "when the great John the Baptist, in prison, did not so much understand how things were there, with Jesus, because he was a little perplexed, he sent his disciples to ask the question: "John asks the question: is it you or should we wait for someone else?"

To John's request, Jesus does not answer: 'I am the Son'. Instead, he says: "Look, see all this, and then tell John what you have seen": namely that "lepers are healed, the poor are evangelised, the marginalised are found".It is evident, according to Francis, that "the greatness of the mystery of God is known only in the mystery of Jesus, and the mystery of Jesus is precisely a mystery of lowering oneself, of annihilating oneself, of humbling oneself, and bringing salvation to the poor, to those who are annihilated by so many illnesses, sins and difficult situations".

"Outside of this framework," the Pope reiterated, "one cannot understand the mystery of Jesus, one cannot understand this anointing of the Holy Spirit that makes him rejoice, as we heard in the Gospel, in the praise of the Father, and that leads him to evangelise the poor, the marginalised".

With this in mind, during the Advent season, Francis invited us to pray to ask for the grace "from the Lord to bring us closer, closer to his mystery, and to do so on the road he wants us to take: the road of humility, the road of meekness, the road of poverty, the road of feeling ourselves to be sinners" Because it is in this way, he concluded, that "he comes to save us, to free us".

[Pope Francis, S. Marta homily, in L'Osservatore Romano 03/12/2014]