(The following is a homily given on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid OK, 1/3/16)
Responsorial
Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Gospel Mt 2:1-12
The Epiphany of the Lord is an event for which all of us
here should be grateful. It marks the
time in which the Lord made known to the world that his Gospel was not simply
for the Jewish people, but for every single human being.
As Christians, we take joy in the fact that the darkness of
sin and ignorance has been overcome by the LORD because he has given anyone who
choses him the ability to carry his light (see 1st reading). In our first reading, the LORD tells the
Jewish people through Isaiah that His light has come to dwell within them,
making them beacons for the world around them to follow. Because the LORD has shown on them, “nations
shall walk by [their] light”, becoming like sons and daughters following the
guidance of their parents.
And has this not been the case? Did not our own ancestors, who came from the
different regions of the world, not end up following the light first kindled in
the Jewish people? Indeed, as the
Psalmist tells us today, “every nation [has come] to adore” the Lord (see Res. Ps.),
and it is because of the Love of Christ.
Our second reading gives us the great consolation that
everyone – Jew and Gentile – are meant to be “coheirs, members of the same
body, and copartners in the Promise of Christ” (see 2nd reading) through the Good News. This is the importance of the Magi for
us. They show us that God became Man to
save men and women of every time and place.
They give witness to what it takes to receive his gift of
salvation.
In the Gospel we hear that these men – of noble birth and of
great importance within their own time and place, “prostrated themselves and
did [Jesus] homage. Then they opened
their treasures and offered” them to Jesus (see Gospel). In humility and sacrifice, they not only pay
homage, but give allegiance to the King of Kings. The actions of the magi uncover for us the
price of redemption. Our ability to receive the gifts God has so lavishly set
before us is contingent upon our willingness to bring to the Lord what we hold
onto in exchange. That means that we must
be willing to let go of our treasure of prejudice, our wealth of fear, and our
abundance of sins. Until we let go of
these things, we will be unable to grasp God’s love for us. We will instead use the tools we have in our
hands to see the world.
We will judge the worthiness of others to be loved; we will
fear the power of others; we will fall prey to the temptations that surround
us. In so doing, will inherently judge
our own worthiness of love; we will fear our own weakness; and we will perpetuate
the conditions needed for our temptations to thrive.
My brothers and sisters, we must let go of the things which
bind us to this place of sin and death. We
must trust in God’s ability to show us another way to follow, and so come to
live in a different and better place – our true homeland which has been
prepared for us as Children of God, and so coheirs with Christ.
May this Epiphany of the LORD awaken within us a greater
love and appreciation for Him who has paid the price for the redemption us all
as well as a burning desire to follow His path, not ours. May we use that same drive allow Christ to
bring everyone into God’s loving embrace.
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