Solemnity of The Epiphany of the Lord by Rev. Fr. Binnah

1st Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2. 7-8.10-11.12-13 (R. cf. 11) 2nd Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6/Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 2:2/Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Theme: JESUS, MY GUIDING STAR AND CELEBRITY!

 Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. The term epiphany finds its etymology in the Greek word ‘epiphaneia’ which means Manifestation or Revelation or Appearance. In essence, what is being communicated this day is that, Jesus Christ has appeared to all people – Jews and Gentiles alike, believers and unbelievers, the great and the small – as a matter of fact, everybody! He has appeared for a single purpose, namely, to save humankind from sin and guilt. In recognition of the universal manifestation of Jesus, the Responsorial Psalm says “He shall reign from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth” (Ps. 72:8). In consequence, “All nations on earth shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.” (Ps. 72:11). If Christ has appeared to redeem us from sin, then, we owe him total allegiance and trust. Like the Magi, we ought to adore him with who we are, what we are and what we have – all our all!

Dearly Beloved, Christ’s revelation has illumined the whole world by bringing light where it was dark – the darkness of sin and evil. From this darkness of sin and evil, the first reading, urges us: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Is. 60:1). Christ takes away our sin and clothes us with righteousness; he wipes away our tears and gives us joy; he recognises our loss and humiliation and restores us anew with abundance. This is what Prophet Isaiah means when he says: “the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” It is akin to the Shekinah, the glory of God that filled the Jerusalem Temple when it was dedicated to God by King Solomon (cf. I Kgs. 8:10-11). Thus, this glory is the divine presence, God’s ever-abiding presence which makes us fully alive. This is what is promised us if we arise. An object can only shine if light is incident on it. The moon shines in the night because it looks up to the sun for its light during the day. We too can only shine and reflect God’s glory if we look up to him! “Those who look to him are radiant with joy, their faces are never clouded with shame” (Ps. 34:5).

 Perhaps, because of our sins, we feel disqualified from partaking in this divine glory. Listen to what the second reading tells us “It has now been revealed that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the promise, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Eph. 3:6). To the pious Jew, the God who created heaven and earth is the God for the Jews only, a domesticated God, a particularised God, so to speak! The corollary of such a stance is that all other nations and peoples are mere firewood or fuel for hell; that, in the sight of God they are worthless. If not, they qualify as slaves of Israel (cf. Is. 60:12, 45:14). This exclusivist, holierthan-thou mentality is punctured by St. Paul, a Pharisee and a Jew himself, who writes to the Gentile Christian community in Ephesus, and preaches against it. For him, God is universal, and his love, grace and mercy extend to all people, not just the Jews! This dawns on St. Peter like a thunderbolt and it leads him to clarify this point when he says “Now I know that God does not show partiality, but in every nation everyone who fears God and does good is acceptable to him” (Acts. 10:34-35). To authenticate this profound truth, the Magi, who were gentiles from Persia and priests of Zoroastrian religion, see the glory of God and come to worship him. God accepts their offertory of precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh, a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy (the first reading, cf. Is. 60:6). God then guides them in a dream on the right path to return to their home country away from the schemes of King Herod (Gospel, cf. Mt. 2:12). If we also revere God and repent and open up our hearts to him, we will see his glory!

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need Jesus to illumine all the dark spots in our lives, so we can become genuinely converted, and shine dazzlingly as light. Sincere repentance results in inner peace, joy, and abundant blessing. By following Christ as disciples, we come to see God face to face. To do this, we must take him as our role model, our star, our celebrity! We do so by imitating the Magi in today’s Gospel. They did two significant things for our instruction: they searched and worshipped: “We have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him” (Mt. 2:2). There are people who adore creatures and works of human hands fashioned with ears which cannot hear and eyes which cannot see. For some, it is money and wealth, possession and power, people and places, to which they pledge allegiance. In the end, they miss both life and happiness. If we can surrender to and adore Christ, we shall see the light needed to guide us on our lives’ journey. According to Rev. Msgr. William Nazareth, the star which the Magi saw “represents the light of God, the grace of God…the work of God in the heart and spirit of every man, guiding every man to Christ. In the life of each one of us too there is a grace that guides us to the discovery of Jesus. If we follow this light we will always be on the right path and thus be recipients of the peace that Christ promised all men of goodwill.”

Again, like the Magi, we must be ready to dispose ourselves: our time, talent and treasure for the service of God. They brought to Jesus gifts of mystic meaning: gold, to acknowledge he is king of heaven and earth; frankincense, to show Christ as a high priest whose duty is to build a bridge between human beings and God; and myrrh, to highlight Christ’s future death and resurrection which will result in our ultimate salvation. These gifts also portray Christ’s sovereignty, divinity and humanity. Unlike Herod who ruled from his throne with brutal force, Jesus rules from a manger and a cross with love. We too can win others for Christ with love, not with brute force!

 Furthermore, we learn another lesson from the Three Wise Men. They came in from one direction, but after they found Jesus and worshiped him, they changed their direction in order to escape the hatred of King Herod who was bent on annihilating Jesus. If we too have really encountered Christ, then we must change our old ways which lead to sin, evil and Satan. In this regard, St. Paul says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” (II Cor. 5:17). Indeed, if we have truly found Christ, then, it is most certain that we will be truly converted! Our hearts will begin to beat with the heartbeat of Christ; our minds, like Christ’s; our words and actions like those of Christ. We have stayed too long in the dark. Let us look up high in the sky to behold the guiding light of Christ which leads us to the Bethlehem of new lives of holiness, progress, love, peace and joy.

Today, we are all called and encouraged to make Jesus Christ our super star, our role model, our celebrity par excellence! If we search for him in fervent prayer, we will find him. He will change our lives for the better and give us peace and glory! As Christians, our light must shine every time and everywhere. In all honesty, let us meditate on these questions and heartily answer them:

1. Who is my super star, role model, celebrity? Do I know, believe and love Jesus Christ?

2. Does the light of Christ shine in my thoughts, words and deeds? Do I let it guide me?

 3. Do people find it difficult to call me a true Christian? If yes, why? If no, why?

An art critic visited a gallery and saw a very beautiful painting of the Bethlehem manger. Seeing its niceties, he still found some faulty brush work and placement of persons. As he scrutinized and criticised it, it dawned on him: “If you found this in a place of worship, what would you do?” There and then, he knelt down and worshipped. Beyond the world’s faults and negativities, there is the deeper mystery of God’s guiding star which can lead usto peace. In this new year and beyond, may we discover the star of Christ even in the most difficult and painful of situations. God bless us, and Happy Epiphany! Remember: #Jesus-My-Guiding-Star-And-Celebrity#

By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior, C.S.Sp.