20210103 PROCESS OF COMING TO FAITH IN CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOUR
03 January, 2021, Sunday, Epiphany of the Lord
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 |
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.
PROCESS OF COMING TO FAITH IN CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOUR
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 60:1-6; PS 72:1-2,7-8,10-13; EP 3:2-3.5-6; MT 2:1-12]
Christmas celebrates Jesus as the light in the world. To the Gentiles, He came as a star giving a glimpse of hope to humanity. The celebration of the Feast of Epiphany focuses on God manifesting Himself to the world, especially to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi. These Magi were most probably pagan astrologers or scientists from Persia (Iran) who could have served in the royal courts.
The coming of the Gentiles to faith in Christ is a fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament. Already in the Book of Numbers, the pagan prophet and a diviner prophesied the coming of the Messiah king. He said, “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab.” (Num 24:17) The prophet Isaiah also foretold that the Gentiles would one day come to worship the God of Israel. “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. 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.”
Although they knew vaguely that the Messiah king would come from Israel, they did not know how Israel would be the light to all nations. “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa 49:6) The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in the region of Judea, the hometown of King David, where he was also anointed King is the fulfillment of this promise. The prophet Micah said, “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” (Mic 5:2)
Jesus is that star shinning so brightly in the sky that caught the attention of the Gentiles who were seeking the light. Indeed, there are many people who seek the star for guidance. As in the days of old, the stars were used to guide travelers at night. Today, many seek to know their future through horoscopes and fortune-telling. However, Jesus is not just any star but that morning Star that gave hope to the Gentiles in finding the truth about life. All of us who are Gentiles, those who have not known the Lord are also seeking for ultimate meaning and purpose in life, like the Magi. They were hungry to find out the truth so that they could find focus and direction in life. We too, if we want to find the fullness of truth, our origin, purpose and destiny in life, we must be like the Magi who were willing to invest their entire life seeking an answer to the mystery of life, creation and humanity. The Magi showed their sincerity and earnestness in seeking the truth. Unless we have the same devotion and desire to seek God, we will not be able to find Him.
However, finding God is more than a nice aspiration. We need to walk the journey of faith. Like that of the Magi, this journey is full of unknowns. It involves risks and adventure. It will not come to us like a pie in the sky but involves ardent search and study. This was what the Magi did. As astrologists and scientists, they were using their natural reason to study the stars. It is so wonderful to know that God will use our natural knowledge and reason to help us discover something of Him. God reveals to us where we are, according to our limitations and our resources. He permits the use of nature to reveal something of Himself, albeit vaguely. Through the use of reason and science, we are led to discover something more. This was the way the Magi began their search for the Lord. For most of us too, we begin with reason, inquiry and curiosity. This is the first step in faith.
However, reason has its limitations. The Magi came to a situation when reason could not assist them anymore. That was why they sought assistance from the experts, those whom God had already spoken to. They asked, “Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.” This is when reason must surrender to revelation, which requires a response of faith. Indeed, reason is illusive. This explains why in following the star, they were led to Judea but then it disappeared until they were enlightened by the scriptures. Herod “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.'” Indeed, no matter how intelligent we are, we must never think that reason alone can help us find God. At most, reason can tell us that God exists. Only revelation and faith can tell us who God is. Although reason can tell us someone exists, it requires the person to reveal himself to us before we know him. To know the Lord, we too must consult the scriptures and make conscientious study of our faith.
Yet it is also a reminder that faith is always dynamic, not static. It is not something we have once and for all. We have it and we can lose it. This was the case of the disappearing star the Magi saw. At one point of time, we can be growing in faith and at another point we could be slackening in faith. Just as in any human relationship, trust and love take time to grow, be purified and strengthened through trials, conflicts and moments of shared joy. Hence, it is critical that we keep up our study and contemplation of scriptures and the study of theology, and most of all sharing our faith with one another, just as the Jewish leaders shared their findings with the Magi. Through faith-study and sharing, we support each other in faith, especially when we are going through periods of doubt. In faith, like the Magi, we must continue to search until we find the star again.
Indeed, the star again reappeared to them, leading them to Jesus. “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.” The first sign of faith that they expressed was worship and adoration. “Going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.” Secondly, they offered the new born King the treasures that they bought. “Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” These three gifts were fitting for a king, a priest and for one who was prepared for burial. Finally, we know that their lives were never the same again because “they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.” We, too, when we want to encounter the Lord, after all the searching and studying, we must end with contemplation and adoration so that departing from our Lord, we can then go out to offer ourselves in love and service as gifts to humanity by living a life of faith and love.
Today, we are called to be like St Paul who had received such a wonderful mystery of revelation to reveal to the nations. We must be involved in the work of evangelization since, like St Paul, we too “have been entrusted by God with the grace” meant for the world. We who have been “given the knowledge of the mystery” must manifest and reveal it to the world so that all pagans can “share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body.” The Feast of Epiphany entails that we who have found the Lord must not keep Him to ourselves but share Him with all of humanity. We cannot be indifferent like the Jewish leaders when they heard the message of the new-born king. They were too preoccupied with their own affairs. We must not allow our pursuits of the world, our career and our daily preoccupations to make us forget that we are always on mission, to make Jesus known and loved. Complacency like that of the Jewish leaders will result in the loss of direction and mission in life. But there is nothing worse than to behave like King Herod who was afraid of acknowledging Jesus for fear that his power and throne would be compromised. On the contrary, only by accepting Jesus can we flourish and grow in fullness of life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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