Too Small

Epiphany of the Lord   7 January 2018

First reading

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

                

Second reading

Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

Surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Gospel

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection

by Grace B. Madriñan

“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." – Matthew 2:6

I know God’s ways are above ours.  But it still amazes me to this day whenever I encounter passages which details how He do the opposite of what the world expects.  First,  He sent His Son, a God of His equal, to become human.  I would expect at least a decent accommodation for Mary to give birth to no less than the Messiah Himself.  Yet Jesus was born in a manger and not even in the wealthiest town, but in Bethlehem which was considered the least among towns of Judah.  How can God allow this to no other than His Son?

But again, His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).  I can only interpret based on what I read and how He reveals the message into my own experiences.  I believe God wants us to learn that God plays no favorites. Not because Jesus is His Son, He will pull out a red carpet on His arrival. He wants to teach us simplicity and humility.  And He will use anyone, and yes even His Son, to bring this message. So if God used His Son to bring His message, all the more that He will use us for His purpose.

Have you ever experienced injustice? Having that feeling that you deserved better? There was a time when I felt that when I was just a fresh graduate from an unpopular university entering into a multinational company. Despite hard work, I was always tagged as the “weakest link”. After several years of failed promotions, I finally decided to apply for a better role in another team.  They were surprised that I had the guts to apply, and even a bigger surprise when I got accepted despite the ill feedback of my previous managers.  After one year in that new team, I got promoted and had been travelling to US four times a year ever since. This person they labeled as “weakest link” became their biggest loss.

I believe that is what God wants to tell us. No person is too small for His tasks.  No experience is too insignificant for His message.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the events in our lives that reveals Your wisdom. Teach us to look beyond the superficial and see the opportunity in each experience to deliver Your message.

Amen.