Deacon Tom Anthony

The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20

Reading 1 Is 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.

R.  (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Reading 11 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Alleluia Mt 2:2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

My Brothers and Sisters,

 We as Christians are in the midst of celebrating the Birth of the Christ Child. For others, one day has been dedicated to this event while for us we are encouraged to meditate and observe this event for twenty days within the Christmas Season. Christ coming into the world, the Word becoming flesh, marks a transformative event for all of creation. It marks the beginning of the Christian Era and brings all Divine Revelation to its culmination: It is through the Son that the Father is revealed and that we all receive salvation. This surely does demand a great celebration and our thoughts and action should mirror its importance.

Long after many other people’s Christmas decorations are taken down and placed back into their storage boxes and long after the many dinners, parties, and get togethers are complete, we still contemplate the Christ Child being nurtured, protected, and cared for by  Mary and Joseph. We challenge ourselves to model our lives after the example given to us by the Holy Family. We pray on the Mystery of the Incarnation. We give the Mother of God our love and affection. That Blessed and Most Holy Night remains central in our faith. It gives us hope, faith, and love. In effect, it offers us a transformative experience that sends us into a new year with an opportunity for renewal and recommitment to what we hold most important: family, community, and God.

The Epiphany brings forth further revelation. The Magi were gentiles, coming from what was the former Median Empire now under the control of the Persian Empire. They were respected and revered members of the religious class. For them to pay homage to the Christ Child is an event which defines all of us, Christians and Non-Christians alike: Christ came into this world for the salvation of everyone. All roads lead to Jesus Christ and, through Jesus Christ, to the Father. No one is excluded from this gift. It is an inclusive event and one that impacts all of God’s creation. Even though there might be those who deny Christ, it is through their personal journey of faith that Divine Revelation will eventually lead them to the full revelation of God’s Message: The Son of Man came into this world, suffered, died, and was resurrected so that all may obtain eternal life.

We are commissioned to spread this message and mold our lives around it. At its center is a furious and undying love that Jesus Christ has for us. So great and powerful it is, there is an irrefutable urge within all of us to share it. Why keep such a great gift to ourselves? Why, in our brokenness, do we sometimes not share it as much as we should? These are questions that demand answers from us. The answers should come through prayer and contemplation. Through the example of the Magi, should we not come forward spiritually and honor Jesus Christ the same way all the while inviting all those whom we know to do the same? If this was truly done correctly, there would be less pain and suffering in the world and an abundance of Jesus’ love for us. Just as we are so open to invite those whom we know personally to celebrate and break bread with us, we must also treat strangers and enemies the same. It is through actions towards those whom we may view in a lesser light that Jesus Christ is truly revealed. Our faith should bring forth Good Acts continuously and not selectively.

Just as God’s Love cannot be restrained, our reaction to God’s Love should never be restrained. The Magi journeyed weeks to reach their destination, guided by their faith and the presence of Christ already at work within them. Are we ready to surrender our free will and let Him do the same within us? Are we prepared to let our hearts throb and overflow as God promised will happen through the words of Isaiah? This is the message of the Christmas Season. It is also the message of the Epiphany. It is a message embedded in love and sacrifice. Our reaction to it is connected to the way we apply it and accept it daily.

There was a time in Jesus’ ministry when He was giving instruction. It was then when He was interrupted. He was told that His mother and brothers were looking for Him. He then challenged, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.” Treating all with the dignity of family unites us to Christ and strengthen that spiritual bond that is present amongst all of us as Children of God. As the Magi went forward to honor the Christ Child, we were there standing in awe and reverence behind them, waiting our turn to do the same. Now, it is truly our turn. Let us all honor Jesus through our love for Him and let us also put that love into action.

Deacon Tom