02 January 2022 – The Epiphany of the Lord (Year C)

by Fr Francis Anthony

Dear friends,

As I said earlier, like the wise men of today’s Gospel, we have made our way to the church or to the crib if you want to. And look at what had happened to these wise men.

They made their way but when came very close by to Bethlehem, the star that was leading them disappeared. And look at their reaction. They didn’t say ‘Well, it is all over. Gone. I go back.‘ 

No. They made enquiries. The story tells they met Herod to find out where that child has been born. The obstacle didn’t take away their enthusiasm for wanting to meet or pay homage to the child. And when they got the direction from Herod, they made their way to Bethlehem, to the manger and offered their offerings. 

We have come, as I said earlier. What is going to be our offering? Please do not put up your hand and say, ‘Father, when I leave the church I will put the offering.‘

What is it we would like to give God at the opening of this new year 2022? Are we meeting our Saviour? Are we meeting, the word used, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the One sent by God for you and me? Are we meeting? And in this meeting, what is palpitating in my heart?

Yes it will be different to each one of us. We can’t go out with one resolution. And look at what happened to these wise men. They have made their offerings and they returned home. The text says: By a different way.

They did not go back to Herod and to submit account of where the child was. That meeting that child made them change their desire, their way of life. Yes and that should be our resolution during this new year Sunday. We are meeting God. We will be receiving His sacraments. But what is the change I want in me?

And when I leave the church, what is it I want to do differently where I can bring out my values?

It is only then we can be what we see in the First Reading. It is from Prophet Isaiah, it is the last section. And this whole section from 56-66 of Prophet Isaiah, it is a one of joyous situation that Jews have come back, liberated by Cyrus, a pagan king. They have come back to Jerusalem. They have built their city and their temple.

Then here it comes. They are now going to shine like the star. Their subjugation, their period of exile, it is over. Now you stand up, raise your head. God is with you.

And the same thing is reflected in the Psalm. And it is the first Psalm you read where the nations are coming and the kings are coming and all to God.

And in the Second Reading, the Ephesians, and it goes on to say where Saint Paul writing to the Ephesians. As you know Ephesus is in modern-day Turkey. He was responsible to convert the Jewish people who were there and also the locals, the non-Jews.

Then he is saying here that it means that pagans now share the same inheritance. He is telling to them, the non-Jewish people, the word here it is the pagans, they will inherit the same inheritance. They are not a second-class citizen. It is again showing how the kingdom of God is open to all. It is not exclusively for some particular group.

Now we have this in mind. Who are we? There is no Jew or Jewess here. We are the pagans but God has brought us into His chosen family. What we want to say the promise He made to Abraham, that same promises now is being given to us.

Now if this is what He means for us, then our response should be: If God you have chosen me, You have made me to be on the same level as Your chosen people of the Old Testament, the descendants of Abraham. And now You have chosen us to be Your descendants.

So we ask God to help us to be able to respond to Him. That is going to be our striving. We will fall back to what has happened to us, not just in 2021, all the years. Let those experiences be a lesson for us. We are not going to be groping in the dark and saying: I’m finding my way.

Let my past experience be a light for me and to help me to make a decision based on my experience.

Let us not make a blind wish. No. And it is only when we fall back to the past we see how we are going to act in the present. And this acting in the present is paving the way for the future.

So on this Feast of the Wise Men, let us have a few things, I am going to sum up what I said, make our journey to God:-
~ And let there be a transformation in us. And we go out having a different attitude, different way of life which is in accordance to God’s plan.
~ And God has chosen me for that so that I can be the star to the people, that I can be a role model, that I through my words and action will bring God into their lives.

And in this way, we can see that the Feast of Epiphany, which just means manifestation, let me through my words and action manifest God to others.

Let me through my words and action manifest to the world that God is a God of all the peoples.

And let me manifest to the people that all of us are on par in front of God.

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