Moving On By Another Way

" Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Mid'ian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

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

Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

Epiphany comes from a Greek word which means "manifestation" or "showing".  If at the first Christmas, Jesus showed Himself to His kababayan shepherds, this time He manifested to the Gentiles as represented by the three wise men.

During this week when the feast of the Lord's Epiphany is celebrated, we would have already started to dismantle all the Christmas decors we have put in our homes, offices, etc.  There is a feeling of going back to normal after a month or so of being in a festive mood.

Christmas decors attract our attention, giving us that happy feeling of Christmas.  It could be said of the same thing with the star that led the three wise men to where Jesus was.  With the star, these men from the East travelled to their destination. They may have lost it at some point which was why perhaps they ended in Herod's court, but when they saw it again, they were delighted. They kept on hoping until finally they saw the Child Jesus.

If decors would soon be taken out of the picture of our lives, the star too would soon be taken out of these men's story. Notice how it was no longer mentioned when they see Jesus. What were only mentioned were that they offered their gifts and then, left "...by another way."

Jesus has shown Himself to us in many different means - through the sacraments, the Belen, our family and friends, the many happenings in our surrounding nowadays.  It is up to us to be like the wise men moving on with our lives by another way - a way of life that is matuwid. And as we walk through a new way, let's make the Lord's presence continuously felt by those around us.  Unlike our Christmas ornaments that are here now and then stored in the attic later, let's show Christ's light 24/7!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, like the three wise men, strengthen us in our continuous desire to follow You.  Through the many means that You would like to shown Yourself to us, give us an insight to recognize, adore, and serve You...not only during the Christmas season, but always. Amen.