Is 60:1-6; Ps (71)72; Eph 3:2-3.5-6; Mt 2:1-12
Salvation for All Peoples
Dear Friends, Today is the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. This is celebrated on the 6th of January but because of its importance, in many dioceses, it is celebrated on the closest Sunday to the 6th so that many may participate. Epiphany means manifestation. God chose to manifest himself to us through his Son our Lord Jesus Christ so that he would bring us back to him, restoring the original image and likeness we lost because of sin. The first manifestation of Jesus was to the poor shepherds of the house of Israel. The second manifestation was to the wise men from the East representing people from other nations. The third manifestation will be at the Jordan by John the Baptist where John reveals the identity of Jesus and God himself introduces him as his beloved son (Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-31). Today Jesus is made manifest through the Church in Word and Sacraments.
In the first reading, Jerusalem is called to rise because the days of suffering and destruction will be over. A new king will be coming and will restore its lost glory. All those who were scattered by war and captivity will gather and there will be a new dawn. It was indeed great news to the people of Jerusalem. There are too many people living in what we could refer to as modern slavery. There are so many held captives by their employers, their governments, their spouses, businesses, and even families or relatives. Many have become slaves to the IoT (Internet of Things), living according to what they see on the internet and social media. Worse still many more have become slaves of modern false prophets. We all need some redemption, don’t we?
The psalmist is exalting the King of Justice and peace who is to come to rule over us. Everyone will be delighted in him and kings from all over will bring him gifts. Everyone will be attracted by his way of ruling, which will be different from other world leaders. We all crave better things, a better life, free of suffering. Our fulfillment is to be found in this newborn king. He is restoring true freedom in the world. Do you think that you are free?
The birth of Jesus is the greatest gift that God has given to the world. Through Christ, God has revealed his face to us, and we can dare to approach him. He has come to unite all the nations so that there will be no ‘us’ and ‘them’ anymore. All will be one. The three wise men represent all the people in the world who have come to adore the new king. He is the star that will illuminate the whole world. The gift of Gold represents his kingship, Frankincense represents his divinity, and Myrrh represents his death for the deliverance of all.
The first principle of Christianity is unity in Christ. In the Catholic Church, we have what we call ‘Vicarius Christi” or Vicar of Christ, the Pope. He is the symbol of unity in the Catholic community. He is the human representative of Christ who is the end of the Church. When a priest is ordained in the Catholic Church, he becomes also “in persona Christi”. He personifies Christ who acts in him to bless his people. Jesus gave his disciples the role of acting on his behalf to continue the work of salvation. Christ who is no longer physically present with us is active in his ordained ministers and the Sacraments he offers through them. All this is possible because God chose to do so for the love of his people.
In the Gospel, we hear that King Herod urged the Wise men from the East to go and find out more about the child and bring him information. According to Herod, he too wanted to go and worship the king. However, we are told that his real intention was to kill the child-king because he considered him a threat to his position. When others rejoiced at the new king’s birth, Herod saw a threat to his rule. He invested a lot of time and energy trying to inquire about the child who even the stars rose at his birth. Herod represents us when we act with jealousy and hatred towards other people who are different from us or better behaved than us.
Today we have many Herods seeking information about others to destroy them. Not everyone who is seeking information about others from you has good intentions. Through gossip, many people have been hurt, relationships have been ruined, people have become sick of stress and others have lost their lives. Be careful what you share about others. Sometimes they come to us disguised as good people and innocently we feed them with information about our family members, our bosses our children, and our friends. Later they use this information to destroy them. Sometimes they use our closest friends to get information to destroy us. However, God continues to guide us through his Church so as not to fall into the present-day Herod’s trap and betray good people. How many people have I betrayed by gossiping and sharing sensitive information about them?
Dear friends, as we rejoice over the birth of Christ in our hearts, I invite us to listen to God’s warnings so that we may not betray others and ourselves.
Have a blessed feast.
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 