Homily for Epiphany Year B 2021
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Introduction
We have just heard the story of the magi, the
three wise men from the East, arriving in Jerusalem and asking to see the
new-born king of the Jews, so as to give him homage. Let us put ourselves in the shoes of the
people of Jerusalem, as they received these three foreign guests, these pagan
visitors.
So, imagine tomorrow, three Buddhist monks
from Thailand, all decked up in their orange habits, knocked at your door and
asked you to direct them to the nearest Catholic Church, because they wanted to
pray. Or imagine three Arab Muslims,
again all decked up in their robes and hijabs, showing up and asking for
similar directions. What would your
response be? Would you not probably
wonder at the intentions of these non-Catholics, these foreigners?
The people of Israel experienced a similar
tension throughout their history. They
knew that they were certainly God’s chosen people, but they were not very sure
about the status of the pagans, the Gentiles, the non-Jews. The visit of the magi and indeed today’s
feast of the Epiphany can help resolve that tension.
Scripture and Theology
In today's first reading we heard Isaiah
tell the people of Jerusalem that they were God’s chosen people alright and
their day of glory would come, but also that through them the Gentiles would
also be saved. Isaiah tells Jerusalem: “upon
you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.” But then he quickly adds that: “Nations
shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” In other
words, other nations on seeing the glory of the Lord upon his special people,
will also come to him and be faithful to him.
That is why Isaiah says: “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.” Yes, all
nations gather and come to Israel, because she has the way to salvation. Isaiah concludes this passage by saying: "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." The regions mentioned here include virtually
the known world of the time, as far as Sheba which is located in present-day
Ethiopia. And so, Isaiah, writing about
700 years before the birth of Christ already expressed the idea that salvation
was open to all nations through God’s chosen people, Israel.
As you can imagine, the people of Israel had
mixed feelings about this belief. If
they were God’s special people, why does he reach out to others also? In fact, the prophets had already been
challenging them not to take their special election for granted, not to be
complacent, not to be arrogant. Amos and
Jeremiah especially challenge them to remain faithful to God and avoid sin, as
a way of living to their special calling by God (Am. 3:2, 9:7; Jer. 7:1-12. Cf.
Is. 28:14 ff.; Mic. 3:11; Deut. 7 & 8).
For with every special calling, comes a special mission or as Spiderman
reminds us, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
And how is Israel, how is Jerusalem, going
to be the source of light for the nations?
The answer is to be found in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, came into this world
through the Jewish nation, to save not only the Jews but the whole world. That is why St. Paul can confidently write to
the Ephesians, as we heard in today’s second reading, that God’s grace, “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.”
In other words, that prophecy of Isaiah, is now fulfilled in Jesus. Since the coming of Jesus, now even the
Gentiles are invited to the way of salvation.
And that is why these foreign magi also come looking for the newborn
king.
Ten days ago, at Christmas, we celebrated
the revelation of God's Son to the world, in the person of the baby Jesus, that
was born in Bethlehem. We have seen him
revealed first to some Jewish people. On
the night he was born, the Jewish shepherds of Bethlehem welcomed the child
Jesus and the good news of salvation that his birth brought. At his presentation in the Temple, the baby would
be welcomed by the Prophets Simeon and Anna, also Jews.
Today we celebrate his revelation, his
manifestation, his epiphany to the rest of the world. The Magi, also called the
three wise men from East, represent the pagan world, the non-Jews, the Gentiles.
Perhaps it was of them that Isaiah had said
that they would “come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the
praises of the LORD.” They came to
do what our responsorial Psalm prayed for: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!" They came to see the king who would "rule from sea to sea, and from the River to
the ends of the earth. . ..”
But let us not forget the question of the
three wise men: “Where is the newborn
king of the Jews?” We must remember
that the Jewish people have a special place in God's plan of salvation, one
that even now, God has not repented. We can think of the Jewish people as being
like yeast that is not meant to be eaten by itself, but is meant to leaven up
the whole batch of dough. And so, God
chose them and worked through them, and sent Jesus through them, so that they
would be a light for the whole world.
For as we know, a flashlight is shone, not to illuminate itself, but so
that others can see better by it.
Christian Life
My friends, in many ways we are also God’s
special people, his chosen ones. We are
privileged to know Jesus Christ, to receive his Word and sacraments
regularly. We are privileged to a
country of material plenty, peace and freedom.
We are each privileged with personal gifts, resources and
circumstances. How do we use that
special election, our privilege?
As a priest, I know first-hand what it
means to have certain privileges that others don’t have. Everywhere I go wearing my collar, people,
even non-Catholics welcome me with kindness.
I have even gotten away with a speeding ticket or two because the nice
police officer was kind to me on account of my being a priest. At a reception, despite my protests, people
will usher me to the head of the line. These are not privileges to take for
granted, but to be grateful for and use for building God’s Kingdom. Like Israel, I must make my words and
actions, the light and shining radiance for others to follow and see God.
The words of Isaiah to the people of Jerusalem
are being spoken to us today. We must
welcome the Magi of today, so that they too can see the newborn Jesus. We cannot do this if we enclose ourselves in
the unholy trinity of “me, myself and I”, or whatever sect of individualism we
belong to. We must place at God’s
disposal all we are, all we have, so that like he used Israel to enlighten the
nations, he can use us to bring others to himself.
This is a message that our Holy Father has
emphasized since he became Pope. And it
is a message he returned to for his New Year’s messages, pointing out that many
people, certainly by God’s grace, have given themselves completely for others,
during the pandemic. He concluded that “The
painful events that marked humanity’s journey last year, especially the pandemic,
taught us how much it is necessary to take an interest in others’ problems and
to share their concerns” (Angelus, 20210101).
It is not just about us; it is about others too.
Conclusion
Let us be the star that guides others to
Christ, first by cultivating thoughts and attitudes of solidarity rather than
individualism, then by translating those thoughts and attitudes into words; and
finally, by putting our words into actions of solidarity and compassion for
others. And at the foundation of all our
thoughts, words and actions, may our prayer be that all peoples on earth will
adore our God.
No comments:
Post a Comment