Magaling at Mabuti

Epiphany of the Lord   6 January 2019

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 Gary Tulabut

How do you translate “good” in Tagalog? Google Translate gave me these top answers which can be used to describe a person: mabuti, mahusay, magaling, and mabait. Mabuti and mabait refer to a person’s character. While mahusay and magaling refer to a person’s skills.

Last summer, during the Baccalaureate Mass prior to the graduation of the college students from the school where I teach, the Mass Celebrant brought up the topic of being good. He also asked what its definition is and how is it to be good.

He focused on the Tagalog translations magaling and mabuti. In his sermon, he mentioned that since those students were about to graduate, they have proven to be good. Good in the field they chose. Good in engineering, nursing, criminology, teacher education, etc. In other words, magaling.

But being good does not end in skills. One should also be a good person. In other words, mabuti. Because only by being mabuti can one put the skills into the right use.

The wise men, in today's Gospel, were good astrologers. They must be really good in their craft as they’re even been called wise men. Using their skills in the right use is true wisdom indeed. Using their expertise, they sought the star of the new born King and paid Him homage.

Let’s use our skills to do good deeds. Let’s start by following the star of the Superstar Himself, then lead other people to do the same. No matter how small that talent is, let’s put it into good use by first being mabuti, then using our galing to serve and lead people to become good disciples of Jesus.

Prayer

Thank You Jesus for the talents You have given us. May all our small talents put together lead people to You. Amen.