20200105
THE
WISE MEN OF TODAY
05 January,
2020, Sunday, Epiphany of the Lord
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
|
First reading
|
Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
|
Above you the glory of the Lord appears
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 ©
|
It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance
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 ©
|
The visit of the Magi
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 WISE MEN OF TODAY
Today we celebrate the
Feast of the Epiphany.
We read the story of the Magi searching for the Ultimate Wisdom of God.
Their lives were defined by a persistent search for truth and wisdom.
What is significant is that in their search for truth and meaning, they were
not afraid to combine reason with faith, science with revelation. This is
so unlike the world today. Secularism seeks to exclude faith and religion
from searching for the truth. Today, the truth is sought only
through human reason and science alone, a reason that is not open to the divine
and to revelation. By so doing, the search for knowledge has come
to a block because reason can only uncover as much as God wants us to
know. There is a world of mystery, of faith and revelation that only God
can reveal to us. Unfortunately, because man is limited and confined by
reason in their search for truth, he ends up in despair, which is what
relativism is all about, because no one can find the ultimate truth because no
one has the absolute truth.
But the Magi show us the
way. They are the models for the modern men in seeing the truth. They are truly the wise men for all
ages. They did not disparage science but they were receptive to faith as
well. The Magi were men schooled in the science. They studied the
cosmos which they see as a book of signs and divine messages for humanity,
unlike today’s science. Although science and reason are distinct, they
did not dichotomize both as if they are totally unrelated. Using their human
knowledge, they studied the star to discover God’s message for humanity.
But they were not locked up in their human reasoning alone, they were conscious
of the limits of reason and science. They understood the inadequacy of
reason to arrive at truth alone.
Instead of feeling
self-sufficient with their scientific knowledge, they were ready to seek the
truth from divine revelation. Hence,
they also consulted the scriptures and the religious leaders on the birth of
the Messiah. They could have just relied on their reasoning and
scientific knowledge, thinking that they had all the answers. This is the
arrogance of secularism and humanism, to think that we have all the answers to
the mysteries of life. This is the sad mentality today when even our
young people despise religion and think that science alone can give them
meaning and purpose. Today, our younger generation, because of the
study of science and technology, has come to a conclusion that faith in God is
tantamount to naivety and superstition; and that religion is just mere
sociological conditioning and our imagination. God, in other words, is
not real and He does not exist.
But the Magi demonstrate
to us the beautiful harmony between reason and faith, science and revelation. Both the star and the
scriptures show us the way to God and to truth. They are the lights of
reason and faith. They welcomed the guidance of faith, the prophecies of
the scriptures and the interpretation of the religious leaders. Indeed,
along the way, their reason failed them because they lost sight of the
star. But it was because of their willingness to consult the scriptures
that they could once again see the star. This shows that in seeking
truth, reason and faith complement each other. Reason purifies us of
superstition. Faith purifies and enlightens reason to see the deeper
truth that human reason cannot see. So there is a beautiful harmony
between reason and faith, leading to the ultimate Truth.
What was significant was
their constant receptivity to the divine message. When they saw the baby Jesus,
instead of being scandalized and disappointed that the King of Kings would be
just an ordinary baby lying in the manger, they saw the beauty of God’s truth
in humble love. God would make Himself small to touch our hearts.
They were contented with their encounter with the divine in Jesus, the truth of
God in person. Indeed, the wise men were receptive to the mystery of God
revealed to them in amazing and surprising ways, beyond human logic and expectations.
By bestowing the gifts, they affirmed their faith in Jesus as the King of all
nations, including the pagans and Gentiles, because He is the Son of God.
After adoring the Lord, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod who
had asked them to inform him about the place where the infant king was to be
found. Again from beginning to the end, they were docile to divine
revelation. Instead of going back via the same route they a different
route, trusting in God’s guidance. Just as He led them there through the
star and scriptures, they were confident that God would also lead them home by
a different way.
Indeed, only when we
find the Ultimate Truth, can we be set free. They were filled with joy upon finding Jesus,
the Prince of Peace and the image of God. They left the place enlightened
to discover where the truth lies and where God was found. After
encountering the Lord, their perspective of life changed. In Jesus, they
saw truth not as a philosophy or as an idea but truth as the love of God
incarnated in a person. The only truth they came to realize is the truth
of love. Indeed, the story of the Magi underscores the importance between
truth and love. Truth is not an idea but an event, as Pope Emeritus
Benedict tells us. “We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words
the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian
is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with
an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.
Saint John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: ‘God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should … have
eternal life’ (3:16).” (Deus Caritas Est, 1) In Christ’s
incarnation, truth and love meet in Him. The ultimate truth therefore is
love and love is the only truth at the end of the day. Christ is the face
of God’s truth and love.
This is just the
contrast of King Herod. He was afraid of the truth. He was using his own reasoning to
dispose of the infant king because He was a threat to his status quo. He
wanted to cling to his powers and vested interests. Perhaps he could also
be thinking that it was his duty to protect the nation by killing such
potential enemies of peace. He used all kinds of human tactics to destroy
the truth, to confuse the Magi and with ulterior motives pretending that he was
also interested to find the truth in Christ. It was just all a pretense.
Indeed, Herod was never at peace with himself because he lived the lie and as a
consequence sees everyone with suspicion and fear. Although he was king,
he was a prisoner of his ignorance, his fears and his perceived opponents.
What does it mean for
us? It is a strong reminder that we must not separate faith from reason
in helping our young people in their search for truth and for love. Today our young people are also seeking
for meaning and happiness. They are looking for the star to guide them to
life. They seek in turn to be the star that leads others to truth and
love. We must never forget that human development must include emotional,
affective, intellectual, human and spiritual formation. When one of these
aspects is lacking the person would be deficient in his growth and would find
life meaningless. We must never allow a separation between faith and
reason in the pursuit of science and technology. In the final
analysis, a person is destined to be with God. Only when he finds God, can
he be at rest.
We must therefore not
neglect the spiritual formation of our young people. Our spiritual goal should underpin
the way we form our young people academically, morally and how they use
knowledge for the good of humanity, the promotion of the dignity of the human
person, the sacredness of life, the call to extend build the human family
through marriage and family and to serve humanity. Unless we see the
importance of our spiritual goal, there is no point speaking about preserving
the planet and environmental ecology when the human ecology is displaced and
not respected. Why should we preserve the planet when we are not
preserving the future of humanity? A planet without inhabitants will
happen because of self-destruction through the perfection and rise of the power
of the Robots A1, the destruction of the weak because of abortion and
euthanasia, the erosion of marriage and the family institution, the spread of
armaments, a narrow understanding of nationalism.
So let us not be
diffident in helping our young people to discover the truth in Christ’s love. Education is more than just
acquiring skills and knowledge but to live a life that is full, meaningful and
purposeful, not just for this life on earth but in the life that is to come
because “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil 3:20) It is to help our young
people to become leaders of tomorrow, building a society of love and unity,
making a difference in their lives. We must help them to become
gifts to others. The magi did not come to receive gifts from the Lord but
to give themselves to Him.
Let us therefore help
them to open their hearts to the Lord so
that when they find Him, like the Magi, they too can render homage by giving
themselves to the service of God in the world. Let us not be afraid to
lead them to Christ because they will be astonished by Christ when they find
Him. In finding Him, they will live their lives differently from that of
the world, which is about individualism, pleasure, success and
fulfillment. Rather, it would be about humble service and love. Let
us be their stars leading them to Christ and to the fullness of truth.
For this to happen, we
must first come to the Lord to pay homage ourselves and find Him in our lives. Let us not follow the example of the
priests and scribes. They knew the answer but they did not do anything to
search for Christ. They were indifferent. Knowing the truth and
having the answers alone is not sufficient. We must awaken ourselves from
complacency and search for Christ ourselves. We must not just be signs to
others but we must take the path ourselves to be effective mentors to the young
people. It is not enough to tell them about God but we must show
ourselves to be firm in our faith and living out our Christian life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment