DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 8, 2012
THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - B

Is 60:1-6 / Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Mt 2:1-12

ISAIAH 60:1-6
Arise, shine, for your light has come. The Glory of Yahweh rises upon
you. Night still covers the earth 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 heart 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 3:2-3A, 5-6
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. This is the Good News.

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 high-ranking priests and 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 accurate information about the child. As
soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and
honor him." After 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 offered him their gifts 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
Today's Gospel speaks of two kinds of searchers of God: the wise men
as the "genuine searchers" and King Herod as the "self-centered
searcher." Matthew challenges us to ask ourselves what kind of
searchers we are.

King Herod's desire to see Jesus was not to worship but to kill the
child. He wanted no other king but himself. Caesar Augustus quoted,
"I'd rather be Herod's pig than Herod's son. Herod didn't eat pigs,
but he murdered his sons for fear of taking his throne."

Selfishness can blind us. Spiritual blindness can lead us not to find
the real treasure - God Himself. On the other hand, the wise men's
desire to see Jesus was to worship the King of all kings. In full
humility, they only wanted to pay homage to the newly born King.

God loves genuine searchers and He reveals Himself to them. The
scripture says, "Faith can move mountains, but genuine prayer can move
God." Like the wise men, those who seek God earnestly will never be
disappointed. The wise men had one thing in their mind: To see the
King and to accept His rule in their life. Selflessness makes us see
God. When the wise men found Jesus, they found the real treasure. When
one finds Jesus, all earthly treasures become secondary! It is
Epiphany – "an inspired understanding arising from connecting with
profound insight, awareness, or enlightened truth."

Last Christmas eve, a friend did some last-minute Christmas shopping.
She was so excited to spend Christmas with her family that she even
spent her 13th month pay for her family's noche buena and bought
nothing for herself. She got a small piece of ham, ingredients for
sweet spaghetti, bread, and fruit cocktail. But when she arrived home,
her father said bluntly, "Are these all you brought?" Tears flowed
from her eyes. It was Christmas. Which one is more important? The gift
or the giver? The wise men knew the answer. Herod did not.

We may find ourselves cursing the father's insensitivity, but we might
fall into the same trap. God is an ATM for many of us. Sometimes we
measure the "love of God" by the number of His "answered prayers." We
are insensitive to the Giver because our eyes are fixed on the gifts
we want to receive. The grace of Epiphany escapes us when we fail to
see that finding Jesus is finding everything. Seek first the Kingdom
of God and all these things shall be added unto you (Luke 12:31).

Be wise! Follow the trail of the wise men. Go to Bethlehem. See Jesus
and your search will end.

"When I see the eternal God wrapped in swaddling clothes, when I hear
the poor cry of the Divine Word made flesh, O Mary, I no longer envy
the angels, for their powerful Lord is now my dearest
Brother!" (Therese of Lisieux)

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Tung-Jou Sheh
- Cecilia Yu
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr. Ugo Anyaugo, Mr. Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Barr Mrs
Barbs Adaugo Okoronkwo, Mr .Iffy Anyaugo, Mr Chuboy Anyaugo, Cordelia
Anyaugo
- Raymund, Cris, Nedda Marjorie, Allan, Parke, Kaye, EJ, Arron,
Janine
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Peping Salud
- Epifania
- Adelina Rogando de Banate
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: Boy & Cora Morando
- In Memoriam (+): Eugenia Guieb Castillo
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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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