The Search is On

The Epiphany of the Lord

January 3, 2016

First reading                                                                             Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, 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.

Psalm	Psalm 71:1-2,7-8,10-13

Second reading                                                                         Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6                    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. This mystery 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

Everyone is searching for something. Some may not be fully aware that they are searching for something and some may not even be aware of what they are searching for.  All of us may have been on both situations in different stages of our life. We are like lost wanderers or people who just go with the flow and allow others to push us to directions we don't even know. 

But there were also times when we exactly know what we are looking for. Finding it though depends on our faith and understanding of what's in it for us and for those we love. Our faith will fuel our actions, what we do to get to what we are searching for. If there is not enough faith, we may give it up when faced with difficulties or when confronted with conflicting priorities.

What are you searching for and why?

The three kings in today's gospel know exactly what they were looking for.  Their faith has helped them to go on searching until they've reached Jesus. And a great reward awaited them for God revealed His blessings through His most precious one, Jesus.

Let us pray for our own epiphany. May God reveal to us what He wants us to search for in this life and with His grace, may we find it in His perfect time. 

Prayer

Father, we thank You for giving us Jesus. With His help, we pray that You lead us to where we can fulfill our purpose in this life, the purpose that we need to search for.  Amen.