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 2 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,

 Comparing a life with Jesus Christ to a life without is like comparing light to darkness. In Sacred Scripture this is emphasized by the presence of Jesus Christ being referred to in terms of light. Light from the sun brings life, warmth and comfort. Light reveals things that are hidden. Light exposes things that might go unnoticed or unrevealed. In terms of spirituality, all these can be said of Jesus Christ and can be used to deepen our relationship with Him. In the beginning of the Book of Genesis, when the earth was a formless wasteland, God said, “Let there be light.” This was before the creation of the sun, moon, and stars and is more in reference to the revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ than to any physical source of light. With the presence of the Father, the mighty wind of God’s Love, and the revelation of the Son, all of creation comes into being and along with it salvation. A true message is being delivered that Jesus Christ is indeed the Light of the world and should also be the only light in our lives.

In the Scripture Reading today we are offered encouragement that through Jesus Christ we are protected and watched over. Whatever obstacles that we face will melt away like the darkness when it is confronted with the light. By accepting Jesus Christ into our lives we will then be a light to others who are searching for what we were searching for. The Christ experience becomes a shared experience where all can be included if they want to and respond to the presence of him who is the Son of God. Through the presence of Jesus Christ and responding to that presence we all become sharers in the glory of the New Jerusalem; a new heaven and a new earth.

All of us should take comfort in knowing what our destiny is through Jesus Christ. Through the Word of God and a fruitful prayer-life we can come to terms with what we already know: Jesus Christ came into this world as a sacrificial offering so that everyone can achieve redemption, salvation, and eternal life through Him. This cannot be earned. It has already been given to us freely by the one who loves us the most and created us. It is up to us to accept it and act accordingly and be as He wants us to be: His Children.

Paul in his Letter to the Galatians explains how the flesh is against the spirit because they are incompatible; the former wanting temptations of the flesh while the latter desiring things that are spiritual in nature. Living according to the spirit brings us closer to God and to ourselves for we are spiritual beings, infused with a soul and possessing a spark of divinity, for we were created by God. If we truly believe this, which as Christians we should, shouldn’t we be making every effort to get closer to God and away from the earthly things that we desire and which will ultimately draw us farther away from Him? The answer to the previous question should be all the more obvious if we take into consideration that everything that comes from the flesh is corrupted and will eventually end while things of the spirit last forever. If we choose to turn away from God and follow  only desires of the flesh then we will also have an end.

Turning back to Genesis, God makes something very clear. He revealed the light to the world but never created the darkness. It was us through our pride and free will that turned away from God and brought the darkness into the world. Even though this is the case, the light has always been there to guide us back to where we started: in a perfect relationship of love with God. We are further told that the darkness will never conquer the light or overcome it. Not now. Not ever. So even when we find ourselves lost in the darkness there is comfort knowing that the light will always be there to guide us out of it. We just have to look for it and follow it.

This is why Christ came into world in the first place: to light up the world and guide everyone to salvation. Through the Word becoming flesh we have the full Revelation of the Trinity and the entire Salvation Story of Humanity before us. There is cause for celebration and joy. Our story is before us in its entirety and we in this last age are witnesses to it. We are called to follow the light for we are children of the light. And that light is Jesus Christ.

Deacon Thomas Anthony