FOLLOW THE STAR.
January 2, 2022
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at
its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2:2)
A Nilotic proverb says: “The voyager's path is marked by the
stars and not the sand dunes.” And a Hawaiian proverb adds: “The stars are the
eyes of heaven.”
There was a time where there was no GPS, no Waze, no Google
Map. To travel, one needed geolocation, a sign, an astral referential. Three
men, from remote areas of the world, saw a star, each of them from his
location. They followed it, and it led them to a unique destination, Bethlehem,
where a mystery was waiting for them. God manifested Himself in our human
nature.
The solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord speaks of three
realities: the Star, the journey of the Magi, and the Revelation of God. The
Star, a sign that calls for the journey. The journey itself, to an unknown
destination. And the finality of the journey, the encounter with God, under the
humble newborn king.
The word Epiphany itself says everything about what we are
celebrating today. More, it says all about what Christmas truly means.
Epiphany, also called Feast of the Epiphany, or Theophany, or Three Kings’ Day,
(from the Greek Epiphaneia, “manifestation”), is the commemoration of the first
manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, and the
manifestation of his divinity to our humanity. The Gospel says that, after his
birth in the little burg of Bethlehem, a Star appeared and led three wise men
to worship and honor the newborn in who they saw a great King, the King of
kings.
God uses what we are familiar with to reveal to us his
glorious presence. The Magi, the said wise men were familiar with astrological
signs. Therefore, God passed through a Star, the most common astral sign to
tell them of his presence in their midst. If it was today, he might have used
other means of communication. Who knows, either Facebook, or Twitter, or
Telegram, or Tik-Tok. The most important, however, is how do we read and
interpret the signs of the times, and how do they lead us to see God. Find your
Star and follow it.
Celebrating the solemnity of the Epiphany, the readings are
all about God's manifestation. The Prophet Isaiah, in the first reading, calls
Jerusalem to arise and shine, for above her the glory of God appears. Through
the night and the darkness that cover the earth, God's glory, like a light has
broken and all the nations are brought into a new light. The Lord shines upon
His people, and His glory appears to them.
The manifestation of the Lord, however, is not exclusively
for his people, but all the nations all over the earth. On the day of the
Nativity, the Lord Jesus was revealed to the Jews represented by the shepherds,
the first witnesses of the good news of the Incarnation. Today, this news is
broadcasted and brought to universality. All nations, like sing the Psalmist
are called to fall prostrate before him. Jesus is going viral.
St. Paul, addressing the faithful in Ephesus emphasizes it.
The mystery about Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, is
revealed to the Pagans. Salvation is no longer a Jewish property. Pagans are
also made sharers of it. In Jesus, they have become sharers of the promises of
God, part of Christ's Body, and so co-heirs of the fruits of his redemption.
The Gospel tells us that this was even manifested since the
birth of the Lord. Through the revelation of the star to the Magi and their
journey to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, salvation was already propagated. Northern,
Southern, Eastern, Western, and the Central part of the universe have seen the
glory of God. All have seen his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.
Like the Magi, we too, are called to come before the Lord
and pay him our homage of love and offer him what we have most dear. For the
Magi, the most precious gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbols of
his kingship, his priestly role, and a prefiguring of his death and embalming. And
what better do we have to offer him?
This Epiphany sounds like a challenge for you and me to
become the instruments of new propaganda, that is, to become those who will
reveal Jesus to others who thirst for him and know him not yet. We are given
more possibilities today than the Magi had. We have the internet. We have
social media. We have all the forums and platforms. May we see in them a way to
make the Lord and his Good News viral today.
Comments
Post a Comment