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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
The Epiphany of the Lord
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3First Reading
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (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 frankincence, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13)
(R) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgement 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)
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 Rover to the ends of the earth. (R)
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the king of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. (R)
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)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (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.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Gospel Acclamation
(R) Alleluia, alleluia!
We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. (R)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (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.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
It is said, when your life is in darkness, pray to God and ask him to free you from darkness... Even after you have prayed, if you are still in darkness - please pay the electricity bill. The quote serves as a strong warning to all of us. If we choose to walk in darkness we will bring disasters upon ourselves through nobody's but our own fault, foolishness.
One of the most well-known Old Testament prophets is Isaiah. He is called the Messianic Prophet because so many of his prophesies referred to the coming of the Messiah into the world. He lived more than seven centuries before the birth of Christ. The book of Isaiah is thought to contain oracles or prophesies belonging to three different eras in Jewish history. Today's text (60:1-6) of the first reading is part of the prophecy made in the fifth century. To understand the text and to determine the message that the writer is conveying, we must look back at the circumstances surrounding that prophecy, because every prophetic oracle is spoken within a historical context.
Five centuries before the coming of Christ, Cyrus the leader of the Persian Empire had conquered Babylonia and set the Jews free from slavery and allowed them to go back to their homeland. But the Jews upon their arrival home, saw that everything had been destroyed, and the prospect of rebuilding their lives was a daunting task. The prophet foreseeing what was to come, encouraged the people of Israel in their efforts, and reminded them of the promise of God to Abraham that he and his descendants would be blessed forever for their obedience. He spoke to instill a new hope in them. His prophecy is believed to have been fulfilled about seven centuries later by Jesus of Nazareth, our Messiah and Redeemer.
Even though his words were to and about the people of Israel, let us humbly apply these words to ourselves today. Imagine that we are hearing these words for the first time. Imagine that we are hearing them when we are trapped in a dark cave or a room with no way out. Imagine that we are hearing them when our hope i s gone, and we are in despair. Let us listen to his words: (Replace Jerusalem with our name) "Rise up in splendor, Valan! 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." What do these words mean to us?
During these past weeks we may have heard and exchanged Christmas greetings - "Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas" so many times. Now that Christmas is over, we no longer use the same greetings. Do we? We don't. Certainly for many people such greetings are just empty expressions or just another formality like greeting someone, "Good morning" or "Hello", or "How do you do?" The prophet Isaiah reminds us that for Christians, Christmas is more than a time of celebration or mere exchange of greetings. It reminds us of Jesus' birth.
Now that we have heard the story of the birth of Jesus, we very well know that from the time Adam and Eve fell into sin, the path was prepared for the day of Jesus' coming. We have celebrated his incarnation with music and songs. We have shared gifts to commemorate God's giving of His Son to the world. We have illuminated and decorated our houses, churches and streets with candles and bright lights to welcome him. We have worshipped him and paid our homage to him. We have rejoiced that we are the children of God. But today Isaiah is calling upon us to "rise up" and "see" the Light that is shining upon us. He wants us to notice where the light rests. He tells us of "the darkness covering the earth, and thick clouds covering the people". Surely, he is not referring to the physical darkness but rather the darkness of sin and unbelief around us. Just as a person in total darkness cannot see anything, lots of people even after all these celebrations, cannot and do not see anything spiritual. Many are blinded by sin and unbelief. They choose to be in darkness and are unwilling to be in the light. But he tells us that because we have come to see and believe in the light, we are no longer in spiritual darkness. He reminds us that this Light which dispels the great darkness of sin and unbelief has come, and He shines upon us.
Then the prophet tells us that not only God's light shines on us but we also can reflect that light as Jesus said, "You are the light of the world". We have opportunities to shine God's light on those who are still trapped in spiritual darkness. He says, "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 afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses." In other words, the prophet also foresees the effectiveness of our light. Our light will certainly draw people, people of other nations and traditions, the powerful and powerless, rich and poor, young and old, brothers and sisters from out of darkness.
Friends, there is much in our world that encourages us to stay in darkness. There is so much violence, hatred, greed, envy and selfishness around us. But we gather here every day, week after week, because we know upon whom the light has fallen, and we know the rewards for being in the light and following the light. If you have seen and experience the light, then, hold on firmly to what you believe in the light and reflect the light upon others. If you are one of those just out of darkness, like the wise men from the east, then, watch out that the light in you does not go out, does not extinguish (Luke 11:35). Even if you are here today because you have caught a glimpse of light, it is worth pursuing that light before the darkness overtakes you. If you are still in complete darkness then allow the light to enter; it will overtake the darkness. Let us remind ourselves always that we live in the grace of God, which is full of both truth and mercy. Let us follow our light of hope, joy and love. Let us build our lives around his teaching and look to him for guidance each day so we may truly experience the Peace, Joy and Love that God has promised to those who believe in him.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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