God’s Light Can Shine Through You

" Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh "

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor! 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 frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms: 72:1-2,7-8,10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Ephesians: 3:2-3, 5-6

If, as I suppose, 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, as I have written briefly earlier. Which was not made known to human beings 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.

Gospel: 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 Messiah 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.

Reflection:

By Fely Santiago

“Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you”

On this Feast of the Three Kings or Epiphany Sunday, our normal reflection would be to ask -- “What gifts can I offer to the Lord, our new born King?”  The three wise men offered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What can I offer to God?

For me it is not anymore to ask what gifts can I offer to the Lord because God has everything already. He created everything so He needs nothing. The question would rather be what gifts have I received from God that I can offer to others?

Every new year most people do all kinds of rituals to attract material prosperity – wearing polka dots, hanging coins in the window, putting coins in their pockets, putting “round” fruits on the table to attract more “money”. Then what? When they receive materials blessings what do they do with it? Have we asked these questions? Why would God want to prosper us?

Let us remember that we are only stewards of the many gifts God has entrusted to us including our wealth. The money in our bank accounts or the investments we have in our many businesses, or mutual fund or stock market is not really ours, they are still God’s entrusted to us and are meant to be shared, to be used to serve God’s people! Your wealth is merely one of the many tools by which the Lord allows you to love others and to glorify Him. Let God’s Light shine through you. You and I, were after all, created to love, serve and to honor God.

That’s why I want to be truly rich. I want to use the blessings and gifts I receive from God to be a blessing to others. Be Jesus for others! Be the star that will bring others to the child Jesus.

 Prayer

Lord again as I begin the new year, let me be more conscious of what I can become whether in the midst of trials and sufferings or in the midst of “plenty” rather than be anxious of what to acquire, achieve or possess. Let me not seek happiness in material possessions and wealth. May I “seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness” and give me many opportunities to share God’s blessings to others this year and build more treasures in Heaven. Let Your Light shine through me, in Jesus’ name. Amen