THE WORD
FIRST READING: Is 60,16
Arise! Shine, for your light has come,/ the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you./ Though darkness covers the earth,/ and thick clouds, the peoples,/ Upon you the LORD will dawn,/ and over you his glory will be seen./ Nations shall walk by your light,/ kings by the radiance ofyour Raise your eyes and look about;/ they all gather and come to you—4 Your sons from afar,/ your daughters in the arms of their nurses] Then you shall see and be radiant,/ your heart shall throb and overflow./ For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you,/ the wealth of nations shall come to you./ Caravans of camels shall cover you,/ dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;/ All from Sheba shall come/ bearing gold and frankincense,/ and heralding the praises of the LORD.
SECOND READING: Eph 3,2-3a. 5-6
Brothers and sisters: I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, [namely, that] the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
GOSPEL: Mt 2,1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel. "'
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
IN OTHER WORDS
Babushka's story, the only Christmas play that I ever joined in high school, is about this old woman who met the three wise men and was invited to join them in their search for the new born king. When she reached Bethlehem, however, the star had dimmed and the child had gone with his parents to Egypt. Babushka was very sad that she had missed Jesus and legend says that she is still roaming the earth looking for Him.
Who actually gets to find Jesus? The feast of the Epiphany is our second chance at Christmas. The invisible God manifested Himself in the flesh and wanted to be seen and found. In fact, we are told that this feast is Christmas for the Gentiles, the non-Jews, outsiders of the faith, the migrants and the unchurched. It is a gospel affirmation that Jesus Christ is indeed for everybody, setting the tone for Jesus' ministry to both Jews and Gentiles. St. Paul writes "that the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Eph 3:6) The Lord's Epiphany gives credence to what mission means.
To find Jesus, our gospel today gives four pointers: the journey, the star, the gifts, and a different way home. While God took the first step of coming down to earth to reveal Himself more fully, we too need to embark on the journey in search of Him. Herod and his assembly of priests and scribes knew what the scriptures said but did not follow what they contained. Only those who walk the road, no matter how difficult, are really following the star. The westward pilgrimage of the wise men is a metaphor of our inward journey towards discovering Jesus in our humanity and around our community. The star of Bethlehem is no longer an impossible dream, an unreachable star, something we only wish upon. It has become the person of Jesus - that radiant light of which the Prophet Isaiah spoke in the first reading: "Though darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, upon you the LORD will dawn." (Is. 60: 1) Those who find Jesus live openly in the light and radiate that light to others.
The gifts of the wise men might be too literal or too theological for us to offer, but homage to God, which they really signify, is what we must give to Christ our King. Let us return to God in greater quantity all our time, resources, talents, and gifts from God as our homage to him.
Finally, those who find Jesus never return to their old ways but lead by the better way home. As we begin the new year and move to the ordinary days of life, may we never backtrack on our pre-new year resolutions, but forge ahead always seeking Jesus, guided by Jesus, offering to Jesus, until we find him at the end of our earthly journey.
- Fr. Emil Lim (St. Jude Catholic School Manila)
The Word in other words 2017
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
