Reflection/Homily/Sermon: Solemnity of
The Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6 2013)
Theme: The Visit of the Magi
Today,
we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord. Epiphany is a kind of
theophany which is God’s revelation and manifestation of Himself. In the bible,
we see several instances of this divine manifestation. In the Old Testament, we
recall the incidence of the burning bush where God revealed Himself as I AM. In the New Testament, the baptism
of Jesus is another example of theophany. There God revealed Himself in the
Voice of the Father who spoke about the Son, in the Son who was being baptized
and in the Holy Spirit who descended on the Son in the form of a dove. In today’s theophany, God is revealing and
manifesting Himself this time not to the Jews but to Gentiles whom He guided to
the birthplace of Christ through a star. We shall therefore reflect on some
interesting aspects of the readings that will help us appreciate the epiphany
better.
In
the first reading (Is. 60:1-6), the Prophet Isaiah invites us to rise and shine
out for our Light has come. He calls us to witness to the Light. This light is
Christ who we celebrate His birth this season. Are we ready to leave our works
of darkness and follow the light of Christ which illumines our paths to heaven?
Without Christ, our vision is blurred and our journey is hopeless because we
cannot see our way since Christ is the Way. If Christ is living in and among
us, we must therefore allow others to experience this light in us which is supposed
to guide them through our actions.
In
the second reading (Eph. 3:2-3,5-6), St Paul talks of God’s revelation and
manifestation of Himself to the Gentiles. In the Jewish tradition, the Gentiles
were regarded as an inferior race who were unworthy of God’s salvation. The
scripture records several instances of humiliating racial discrimination
against the Gentiles by the Jews. But at Christ’s birth, the Good News was no
longer for the Jews alone but also for the Gentiles. What this means for us is
that now, we all have a chance to make heaven. God’s graces for repentance and
salvation are available for all. There is no barrier between us and God except
the sins we commit. When we claim to be righteous Christians and look down on
sinners instead of helping them repent, we might be surprised to see them in
heaven even before us.
