DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 2, 2011
SOLEMNITY, EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - A

Readings: Is 60:1-6 / Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 / Eph 3:2-3, 5-6 /
Mt 2:1-12

ISAIAH 60:1-6
Arise, Jerusalem, shine, for your light has come. The Glory of Yahweh
rises upon you. Night still covers the ear th and gloomy clouds veil
the peoples, but Yahweh now rises and over you his glory appears.
Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your
dawn. Lift up your eyes roundabout and see: they are all gathered and
come to you, your sons from afar, your daughters tenderly carried.
This sight will make your face radiant, your hear t throbbing and
full; the riches of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the
nations will come to you. A flood of camels will cover you, caravans
from Midian and Ephah. Those from Sheba will come, bringing with them
gold and incense, all singing in praise of Yahweh.

EPHESIANS 3:2-3, 5-6
Brothers and sisters, you may have heard of the graces God bestowed on
me for your sake. By a revelation he gave me the knowledge of his
mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. This mystery
was not made known to past generations but only now, through
revelations given to holy apostles and prophets. Now the non-Jewish
people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are
incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.

MATTHEW 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the days of King
Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They asked, "Where
is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star in the
east and have come to honor him." When Herod heard this he was greatly
disturbed and with him all Jerusalem. He immediately called a meeting
of all highranking priests and the scribes, and asked them where the
Messiah was to be born. "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they told
him, "for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the clans of Judah,
for from you will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd my people
Israel." Then Herod secretly called the wise men and asked them the
precise time the star appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with
the instruction, "Go and get precise information about the child. As
soon as you have found him, repor t to me, so that I too may go and
honor him." Af ter the meeting with the king, they set out. The star
that they had seen in the East went ahead of them and stopped over the
place where the child was. The wise men were overjoyed on seeing the
star again. They went into the house and when they saw the child with
Mary his mother, they knelt and worshiped him. They opened their bags
and of fered him their gif ts of gold, incense and myrrh. In a dream
they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their
home country by another way.

REFLECTION
On this Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, sometimes
called the feast of the Three Kings. There are many disputes about the
three kings. Why three? Who were they (if they ever existed at all)?
Where did they come from? How did we know their names? Was there
really a star that led them to Bethlehem? For each of these questions
there are legends and accounts in what are called the apocryphal
Gospels. It is useless for us to try to give accurate answers to these
questions – we just don't know!

But for us believers there is no dispute that the real meaning of this
feast is that the revelation of our salvation through Jesus Christ is
for all peoples of all lands and of all races. Through the visit of
the magi we realize that Jesus Christ the Messiah is given not just to
one nation or to one race but to all peoples of all nations and of all
races. We can say that today's feast is the feast of God's
globalization work.

However, as is true of much of what today we call "globalization,"
this process takes time to unfold. The same is true of the process of
God's globalization work. The message of Jesus as the Messiah, the
Savior of all nations and of all peoples, is an ongoing work, a work
in progress. There are still countless people who have not yet been
touched by Christ's message in such a way that they are led to believe
in Christ and to fully accept the truth that He is the Savior of all
of us in the world. It is for that reason that we who do accept Jesus
as our Savior are called to be missionaries as were the magi.

But that task of ours of spreading the Gospel, of evangelizing our
world, is a task that requires much faith and patience. We cannot
force anyone or any nation to believe. Forced belief is not the belief
of real faith. But we can help to lead people to faith. And we do that
not chiefly by teaching doctrines (although teaching is also
necessary, provided the teaching is accurate and theologically solid)
but we can do more to lead people to belief by giving the good example
of our lives. It may be worthwhile to repeat a message that we have
heard time and time again: the good example of our lives of faith must
be the good example of our lives of love. St. Paul reminds us that
even if we have faith strong enough to move mountains and a fantastic
understanding of doctrines, if we do not have love, we have nothing to
give to others. And we also read in the letters of John that God is
Love. That means that wherever there is real love, there is God. To
quote from Latin, "ubi caritas at amor, ibi Deus est" – where there is
charity and love God is present.

Can our celebration of this feast of Epiphany, of God's work of Gospel
globalization, be for us a commitment to live a life of love and
charity for all peoples of all nations and races so that we can be the
modern "stars" that will bring our sisters and brothers to Christ,
Savior of all peoples and nations? By the good example of our lives we
may be the "magi" for our world today. Let us pray for that!

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
- Fabio Dapo
… for the personal intentions of Margie Ponce De Leon and Evelyn Ponce
De Leon
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Stephanie Cheng Dungca.
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Wedding Anniversary: Dennis & Cornelia Tan Ang
- Wedding Anniversary: Potenciano & Lulu Malvar
- Birthday: Macario Tee
- Birthday: Emmanuel Hio Jr.
- Birthday: Anna N. Morabe
- Birthday: Caridad B. Yang
- Birthday: Dr. Veronica Nañagas-Devon
- In Memoriam (+): Lilia B. Serrano
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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