20180107
THE LIGHT TO THE GENTILES
07 JANUARY, 2018, Sunday, Epiphany of the Lord
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 ©
|
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O
Lord.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O
Lord.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O
Lord.
The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O
Lord.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O
Lord.
|
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 LIGHT TO THE GENTILES
What does it
mean to be a star? In the world, a star is a celebrity. The focus is on the
star. It is the point of attraction. Sometimes we speak of reaching for
the stars, meaning to realize the impossible dream. The star in today’s gospel
is different from the movie stars because it points to Jesus the Light of the
World and the light to the Gentiles. Even then, Jesus’ mission was not to
draw us to Himself but to the Father. “I glorified you on earth by finishing
the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn 17:4)
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world.” (Jn 17:6)
“I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love
with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26)
Jesus was
called to be more than a star. He was a light in the darkness. This was
what the prophet Simeon prophesied. “My eyes have seen your
salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light
for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Lk 2:30-32)
Indeed, Jesus was called to be the hope for those in darkness and in
sorrow. He was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel and the
Gentiles. “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.” He
came for the forlorn and the downhearted. He came not just for Israel but for
all nations. The psalmist said, “The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.”
Jesus is the
star fulfilling everyone’s dreams. He was the dream of Israel come true. “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.” There
would be peace and justice in the land. Israel would become great once again,
filled with the blessings of God.
This is what
the Constitution of the Church in the Modern world reiterates, “The Church firmly believes
that Christ, who died and was raised up for all, can through His Spirit offer
man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. Nor has
any other name under the heaven been given to man by which it is fitting for
him to be saved. She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and
Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of
all human history. The Church also maintains that beneath all changes there are
many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in
Christ, Who is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” (GS 10.3)
How is He the
Star? Jesus came to live among us. In His incarnation, He took
upon our humanity to be a leader for us in salvation. He chose to be born
in the manger rather than in a palace. He came to be identified with the
poor and the marginalized in society. “For he shall save the poor when
they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save
the lives of the poor.” Jesus came to live amongst us.
The gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh given to the infant child foreshadowed what the
child would be. He was called to be a king who would rule the world with
justice. “O
God, give your judgement to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may
judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgement. In his
days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from
sea to sea, from the Great River to earth’s bounds.” He would also
be a high priest who offered himself as a victim and sacrifice for the
salvation of humanity. He would be the bridge that reconciles man
with God and God with man. Through His intercession, our prayers are
heard. Finally, He would be God’s servant unto death, the total giving of
Himself for the salvation of humanity and the world. By offering Himself
on the cross, He would be victorious over death by His resurrection.
On this feast
of Epiphany, we too are called to be His stars. We are called to be a light
in darkness. We too are called to be sign of hope for the forlorn. We are
to be His agents for justice and mercy. Through our works of mercy and
compassion, we are called to reach out to those who are living in the shadow of
death and in darkness. That was what Christ did when He was on
earth. He came for the poor, the sick, the wounded, the marginalized and
the outcasts. Through His works of mercy, healing and compassion, He
brought many back to God.
In the final
analysis, we are to reveal the mystery of God’s plan in Christ as St Paul did. The
whole purpose of Christ’s works, that is, the miracles, was not just to help
the sick or deliver those who were possessed, but to point them to the mercy
and love of the Father so that they would know the goal of life, their origin
and destiny. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father, but by me.” (Jn 14:6)
So in our humanitarian works, we must be careful that we do not simply stop at
saving the lives of people or making them feel loved and cared for, but we want
to give them nothing less than Jesus. St Paul wrote, “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 Christ Jesus, through the gospel.”
Hence, we must be mindful
that there will be Herods around to deceive us. We must be prudent and
ensure that what we do will not be used by others for their personal and
political interests. The works of mercy of the Church is purely
humanitarian with a spiritual motive. It has nothing to do with the
world’s social, economic or political stratagems and ideologies. We must
not allow ourselves to be used as tools by other organizations that have an
agenda in collaborating with us. Christian charity is not done with the
motive of proselytizing either. We do not make of use charity to make
converts or coerce them into conversion. We must dissociate with
them as the Magi did with Herod who used deceptive means to achieve his selfish
interests.
Our only
gospel is that of compassionate love in response to the needs of our fellowmen. Christian
charity is our response to the sufferings and hunger of our fellowmen.
However, in so doing, Christian charity does not leave out God because
Christian charity seeks to give the human person what is of utmost importance
to Him, namely, God. Very often, it is the absence of God that causes
people to suffer meaninglessly and hopelessly. Christian charity is
concerned not just with the physical, material and emotional needs of the human
person but with the whole person. Our work must be purely humanitarian and in
the line of revealing the mystery of Christ’s plan and love for them. We do it
purely because we love and we want to reveal the love of God in our lives to
them so that they too will come to see Christ as the light of their life.
At the end of
the day, we must walk by a different path from that of the world. Our path is not coercion or
masking our political and ideological programs. But we walk the path of
genuine love. Only that kind of love can convince others that the love of
God exists and that God is real. Only love can reveal to others the face
of God. The love of God is seen of course through our genuine and sincere love
for others. It is by our examples, words when needed, actions and silence
when necessary, that make us credible witnesses of God’s love.
For this to
happen, we must, like the Magi and our Blessed Mother, enter into worship of
this God who became man. Only by contemplating the humble and selfless love of God in
Christ Jesus can we be moved to love the same way. Knowledge alone cannot
change us as in the case of the Jewish leaders. They knew where the
Messiah was to be born, but they were indifferent. So what moves us to
continue the work of Jesus in living amongst man and being His light of truth
and love is when we have fallen in awe and reverence of Jesus as the Magi
did. As a consequence, “they were warned in a dream not to go back to
Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.” We too will
walk a different path if we encounter His love and mercy.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment