20170108 THE SEARCH
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
These
readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast:
|
First reading
|
Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
|
Arise, shine out,
Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord
is rising on you,
though night still
covers the earth
and darkness the
peoples.
Above you the Lord
now rises
and above you his
glory appears.
The nations come to
your light
and kings to your
dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and
look round:
all are assembling
and coming towards you,
your sons from far
away
and your daughters
being tenderly carried.
At this sight you
will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing
and full;
since the riches of
the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the
nations come to you;
camels in throngs
will cover you,
and dromedaries of
Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba
will come,
bringing gold and
incense
and singing the
praise of the Lord.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
|
Psalm
71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13
|
|
Second reading
|
|
Ephesians
3:2-3,5-6 ©
|
You have probably
heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and
that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This
mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and
prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now
share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the
same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.
|
Gospel
|
Matthew 2:1-12 ©
|
After Jesus had been
born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came
to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked.
‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod
heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called
together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of
them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him
‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no
means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you
will come a leader
who will shepherd
my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned
the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the
star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about
the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too
may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they
set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went
forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star
filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening
their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But
they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own
country by a different way.
These
readings are for the day of the feast itself:
|
First reading
|
Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
|
Arise, shine out,
Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord
is rising on you,
though night still
covers the earth
and darkness the
peoples.
Above you the Lord
now rises
and above you his
glory appears.
The nations come to
your light
and kings to your
dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and
look round:
all are assembling
and coming towards you,
your sons from far
away
and your daughters
being tenderly carried.
At this sight you
will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing
and full;
since the riches of
the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the
nations come to you;
camels in throngs
will cover you,
and dromedaries of
Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba
will come,
bringing gold and
incense
and singing the
praise of the Lord.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
|
Psalm
71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13
In
you, Yahweh, I take refuge, I shall never be put to shame.
2 In
your saving justice
rescue me, deliver me, listen to me and save me.
7
Many were bewildered at me, but you are my sure refuge.
8 My
mouth is full of your praises, filled with your splendour all day long.
10
for my enemies are discussing me, those with designs on my life
are plotting together.
11
'Hound him down, for God
has deserted him! Seize him, there is no one to rescue him.'
12
God, do not stand aloof, my God, come quickly to help me.
13
Shame and ruin on those who slander
me, may those intent on harming me be covered with insult and infamy.
|
|
Second reading
|
|
Ephesians
3:2-3,5-6 ©
|
You have probably
heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and
that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This
mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and
prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now
share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the
same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Mt2:2
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
We saw his star as it
rose
and have come to do
the Lord homage.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
Matthew 2:1-12 ©
|
After Jesus had been
born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came
to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked.
‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod
heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called
together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of
them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him
‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no
means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you
will come a leader
who will shepherd
my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned
the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the
star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about
the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too
may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they
set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went
forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star
filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening
their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But
they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own
country by a different way.
THE
SEARCH
Everyone is searching for
happiness in life. This is what is driving every person on earth.
But where do we find lasting happiness? This pursuit of happiness has led
many to chase after dreams only to realize at the end of the long struggle that
these dreams are mere illusions. It is tragic that one can spend one’s
whole life laboring day and night for something that does not last.
Indeed, the path to
happiness is full of deception. This is the greatest weapon of the Devil
to mislead us. That was what he tried to do with Jesus when He began His
public ministry, by distracting Him from doing the will of His Father and His
Mission. He tempted with pleasure, power and wealth. This was the
way of King Herod as well. He tried to deceive the Wise Men into
believing that he wanted to find the King of the Jews too, so that he could “go
and do him homage.” The way of the world is to entice us to things that
cannot not offer us real happiness in life. The Devil knows that because
we have a body, we are susceptible to temptations to pleasure; whether it is
for food, comfort or sex. Because we have an ego, He tempts us to power
and glory. The question we need to ask ourselves is whether the things of
this world can really offer true happiness in life. How many rich and
successful people in the world are happy? Again, how many of us who live
a life of pleasure are really happy?
What can satisfy us is the
ultimate in life. What is the ultimate in life if not truth and love,
meaning and purpose! We cannot find happiness unless we live a life of
meaning and this meaning is love and service. Only such a life is
worth living. Even then, the ultimate meaning of life comes only when we
find God who is the source of truth and love. In finding God, we find
ourselves. This is what St Augustine says, “Unless our hearts rest in
Him, we remain restless.” The truth is that the things of this world can
satisfy us at most for a while. After that, the search will
continue. But the search for God is a search of the ultimate, the highest
and the most supreme goal of life. When we find God, we also find our
purpose, our identity, meaning and goal. Only in God can we find true
happiness and joy. This was the case of the Magi who laid their “gifts of
gold and frankincense and myrrh” before the Infant King.” In other words,
in finding God in man, in the child Jesus, they were transformed. They
found new meaning and a new vision of how they should now live their lives.
What does it mean to find
God in Christ? St Paul says, “It means that pagans now share the same
inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise
has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.” In Christ
Jesus, we come to understand what it means to be a true man and a man who has
fullness of life. Jesus reveals to us our identity as man in assuming our
humanity. Through His life on earth, He showed us the Way to live our
lives, in selfless service and compassion for others, especially the sick and
the poor. Most of all, He demonstrated to us His love for His Father by
living a life of obedience, which is a life of sonship. By living for us
and for His Father, He shares in the life and love of God.
How then do we search for
God? The search for God is an arduous journey fraught with many
dangers. This explains why many get lost along the way. Many are
deceived by the illusory offers of the world. Instead of keeping their
eyes on their destination, they are distracted by the beauty of creation and
the joys of this world. Others, because of so many voices, opinions and
views in the world, are confused as to what is true or false. Indeed, the
Devil is the liar and seeks to deceive us by confusing us about our
faith. So if we want to be sure that we are on the right track, we must
let the three wise men show us the way to Christ.
Firstly, we need to be
sincere. There must be a spirit of inquiry and genuine search. It
begins by asking the fundamental questions of life and death. Such
questions deal with origin, destiny, meaning and purpose of life. Unless,
we ask these questions, we cannot arrive at the question of God. In our
search for the ultimate truth and meaning, we cannot but come to recognize that
everything is contingent except God who is absolute. Like the wise men,
we must go beyond just eating and drinking like the people during Noah’s time
without asking the more basic questions of the origin of life and what happens
after death.
Secondly, we must be
willing to take risks. The magi took the risk of travelling from afar to
a foreign land to find the baby Jesus. They were willing to move out of
their comfort zone and enter into new terrain to satisfy their hunger for
God. Faith always requires us to take risks, like Abraham and Mary who
trusted in God. They were ready to do the impossible and expose themselves
to the unknown.
Thirdly, we need to be
focused on following that star, the dream of our lives. We must persevere to
the end. They met with many obstacles along the way but they
persevered. They did not give up easily. They were convinced that
they had seen something. They had a glimpse and they refused to give up
their dream. We too must sustain our dreams. In our case, our dream
for a happy and loving family, for a vibrant and evangelizing Church and, most
of all, to know Jesus can be realized only when we persevere in walking the
direction that the Lord has shown us and which we have started.
Fourthly, at times, the
star might disappear. We may feel lost, confused and unsettled.
This is all right, because faith is a process. Today, we find Him, but
tomorrow we lose Him. This is true even in relationships. There are highs
and lows in building relationships. So too in our relationship with the
Lord, there will be times when we are passionate and deeply in love with the
Lord. That love at times can become lukewarm or we could enter into the
desert when we cannot feel the presence of God. But we must continue to
persevere in faith. If we do, the star will appear again after some time.
Fifthly, we need to find
assistance and guides. We must be humble enough to ask and to
search, and study the scriptures. We need to turn to the Word of God and
have people of faith to share that Word with us, whether formally or
informally. That was what King Herod and the Wise Men did. “He
called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and
enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.” Today, we need to turn
to the Church’s magisterium to help us to understand the Word of God.
Sixthly, we do not travel
alone. It is significant that the wise men did not search
individually. They went together as a team although they came from
different lands. They worked together, consulted each other and walked together
in good and bad times. Although from different cultures, they showed
communion in mission, unity in purpose. We too cannot travel alone in our
search for Christ. Unfortunately many Catholics want to travel alone.
They have no Catholic friends to share their faith with. Or else we work
against each other, even though we are working for the same Church. We
must imitate the three wise men who worked together for the greater good of
all, learning how to give way to each other and be humble in accepting each
other’s differences. We need to join a Catholic faith-sharing group that
meets regularly to share our faith and pray together if we want to know Jesus
more and more and to strengthen our faith.
Finally, we need to pray
and contemplate like the Magi who bent low and offered Jesus their gifts in
adoration and worship. Only in worship can we encounter God directly. Our
relationship with God cannot be at a cerebral level only. It cannot be just
bible and theological knowledge alone. It is ultimately a
relationship. The crown of theology is liturgy and worship. The
purpose of scriptural and theological studies is to know Jesus so that we can
worship Him and relate with Him.
However the journey of
faith does not end here. The point of arrival is now the point of
departure. Having encountered the love of God in Christ, we must now walk
a different way, the way of Christ, the way of light and truth and love.
This was what happened to the Magi. “They were warned in a dream not to
go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.”
To go back to Herod is to walk the way of deceit, revenge and evil. Herod
is a symbol of insecurity, anxiety and the desire for power. But to
walk a different road is to walk the way of peace shown to us by the
Lord. It is the way of vulnerability, the way of innocence, the way of
gentleness and compassion, as manifested in the baby Jesus.
Secondly, the evangelized
now must be the evangelizer. Like St Paul who encountered the Risen Lord,
he realized that the great gift that he had received was not meant for himself
alone. It was given to him so that he could share the Good News with
others. As Church, we must lead all men to come to know Christ the Lord so that
they can worship Him and serve Him. In announcing the Good News to
others, our faith will also increase and strengthen. In this way, all of
humanity will come to find salvation, meaning and purpose in life in Christ.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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