Are You Following the Light?

The Epiphany Of Our Lord
06 January 2008

First reading Isaiah 60:1 - 6
Arise, shine out, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises
and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light
and kings to your dawning brightness.

Lift up your eyes and look round:
all are assembling and coming towards you,
your sons from far away
and your daughters being tenderly carried.

At this sight you will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the nations come to you;

camels in throngs will cover you,
and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing the praise of the Lord.

Second reading Ephesians 3:2 - 6
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery, as I have just described it very shortly. This that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

Gospel Matthew 2:1 - 12
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel’.

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.


Reflection
By Anabelle Payod-Balla

It was getting hot, the dust is getting thicker making it difficult for us to breathe freely and our legs are starting to ache, bumping against the sides of the horses as we climb each step into the top of the volcano. We knew the ride will be difficult and tiring and yet we made the choice to take the journey. We were drawn to the beauty of the volcano and we kept our focus to our destination marked by colored horses and group of tourists. The sight of them kept our hope alive and our spirits high. We know we are going on the right direction. Finally, we arrived and wow, what a breathtaking work of art of nature! It feels so wonderful to discover the surroundings of Taal Volcano, looking inside its crater up close. It was worth the effort! What a discovery, what a happy day that was!

I believe every one of us has experienced the feeling of gladness every time we discover something precious or important like a good and affordable restaurant or a great book or finding someone special to love. Now, imagine the time when we finally discover the Holy Face of our Father and the beauty of His Kingdom…

The Gospel this Sunday is telling us how the three kings discovered Jesus by making a choice to follow the bright star. They were drawn to the Light, kept their focus on it as their guide. They were overjoyed to see the bright star when it stopped over the place where Jesus was. Upon seeing Jesus, the three kings bowed down and willingly offered their gifts, their precious possessions. There was no sign of hesitation and doubt. They acknowledged Jesus as their King! Their journey was well rewarded by having the honor to see face to face the most precious Son of God!

May we all discover that God is so close to us, that He is always there all the time generously giving us His blessings. That Jesus keeps His Light on at all times to guide us on our way. The direction has been clearly drawn. All we need to do is make the choice to follow the Light and keep going until we reach the most treasured destination- heaven.

Father, like the three kings, may all of us be always drawn to the Light, to Jesus your Son. May we seek Him everyday and give Him praise and honor as He deserves for He is truly the King of kings! May we keep our eyes on Him and always rejoice in His presence. Amen.


Let us discover Jesus in our hearts today and keep Him there forever!