Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord(Cycle A, Year I)
Community Word:
God’s presence brings unspeakable joy to His people.
Theme:
We experience God’s presence when we diligently seek him.
Promise:
“…. he shall rescue the poor when he cries out.”(Ps 72:12a)
Reflection:
God is beyond the grasp of any human mind or imagination. But in the fullness of His time and eternal wisdom, He became man and made Himself visible and comprehensible to all humanity through Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High. This manifestation of the Lord, or Epiphany, is what we are celebrating this Sunday. The mission for His coming is to save not only Israel, but the whole world as we declare in Psalm 72:11: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” And, our theme for this week expresses it: We experience God’s presence when we diligently seek Him.
Nobody recognized Jesus when He was born in the little town of Bethlehem. The Jews did not discover His true person while growing up as a carpenter’s son in Nazareth. His fellow Israelites could not identify Him when He performed the Messianic works for them as a crucified victim. As what St. Paul told the people of Corinth: “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are… ” (1Cor1:27-28). Only the poor shepherds, upon hearing the angels rejoicing,came to the manger to worship Him. And the wise men from the East, who diligently searched for the King of the Jews, were led by an extraordinary star to the Child with his mother.
Jesus comes to those who have the humility to seek and welcome His presence in their lives. The message of the Epiphany is that all of us are welcome to encounter Christ. Like the Israelite shepherds, the gentile Magi of the East were also “invited” to witness the birth of the Lord and King of all. Jesus is available especially to the weak, the sinners, the marginalized, the helpless and the poor. No one is excluded from the love of God, if one has the desire to experience it. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand, believe and accept the Truth that God reveals.Diligently and constantly seeking Christ means maintaining an active and dynamic personal relationship with Him. Our faith urges us to seek God first and His righteousness and nothing should deter us from knowing, loving and serving God because this is the reason and purpose of our existence.
As renewed Christians, we are called to be the “epiphany” of the Lord in this world by being evangelizers of the Word and witnesses of Jesus Christ through our conduct and way of life. We are exhorted to possess the nature and character of Jesus, be compassionate and generous to welcome and serve others, especially the poor and suffering. When we reveal Christ to others, we are one with Him in this week’s promise: “… he shall rescue the poor when he cries out.” (Ps 72:12a).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for fulfilling God’s salvation by being born as a man and becoming our Savior. Keep our hearts steadfast in seeking You in the midst of difficulties, obstacles and trials that we face everyday. We thank you for the many blessings we received during the past year. During this New Year, grant us the grace to receive Your blessings and share the same with our fellowmen. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. How do I bring the light of Jesus Christ to others that they too may “find” Jesus through my Christian witnessing?
2. As Christ was born to save the poor, what actions can I take so that I may become His hands and feet in bringing the Good News to others?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
January 8, 2017 (Sun) – Is 60:1-6/Ps 72:1,2,7,8,10,11,12,13/ Eph 3:2,3,5,6/Mt 2:1-12
January 9, 2017 (Mon)–Is 42:1-4,6-7/Ps 29:1-4,9,10/Acts 10:34-38/Mt 3:13-17
January 10, 2017 (Tue)–Heb 2:5-12/Ps 8:2,5,6-9/Mk 1:21-28
January 11, 2017 (Wed)–Heb 2:14-18/Ps 105:1-7,8,9/Mk 1:29-39
January 12, 2017 (Thu)–Heb 3:7-14/Ps 95:6-11/Mk 1:40-45
January 13,2017 (Fri)–Heb 4:1-5,11/Ps 78:3,4,6-8/Mk 2:1-12
January 14, 2017 (Sat)–Heb4:12-16/Ps 19:8,-10,15/Mk 2:13-17
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
