Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Epiphany: All Nations Belong to Him

Jesus, I trust in you!

Jose Rizal was fascinated by a gamu gamo or winged termite which is attracted by light. The small insect, desiring for light, drew near the flame of the oil lamp even though it was dangerous. And true enough, its wings caught fire.
Light has power to attract. And Epiphany, being the feast of light, shows us this lesson. The Magi coming from the East, went to Bethlehem in search of the King of the Jews. They were led to him by the light of a star which they saw rising in the East. “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines and over you appears his glory.” Indeed, these pagans saw the light of a star which beckoned them to a greater light and that light is Christ, who is Light from Light, true God from true God.

The pagans were not given the light of revelation. God did not send them prophets. They sought guidance from the stars because it was all they had. Through the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews, they heard of prophecies about the coming of the King of the Jews who would rule the nations. The unfortunate occasion of Jewish slavery in their land became a blessing for the pagans. “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance…they all gather to come to you…”

Light has power to attract. We are drawn towards the light. Christ’s light draws us to himself. Christ’s light is not dangerous. It does not kill like the flame of a lamp. Rather, his light gives life. “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race.” The Magi found out that the closer they were to Christ, the greater light they enjoyed. First, it was just a star that they saw. Later on, in Jerusalem, they heard the prophecies of scriptures. Then, finally, they saw Christ himself and they prostrated themselves and worshiped him. They offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Little did they realize that it was not what they brought that were the gifts to the newborn King but they themselves were the gifts. “I shall bequeath you the nations, put the ends of the earth in your possession.” (Ps. 2: 8)

The Jews are not the only ones who belong to the Lord. Even if they were the chosen people of God, they are not the only ones who belong to him. The world and everything in it belongs to him. We are all the inheritance of the Lord. We are his people, the flock he shepherds. Thus, today, the Father reveals to all of us his Son as our Lord and King. He also draws us towards his Son for Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.”

Let us always be grateful to the Father for having revealed to us his only Son. As the magi experienced, so also do we realize that the closer we are to Jesus, the greater light we enjoy. The closer we are to Jesus, the more life do we possess, the more alive we are. The more light we enjoy, the greater is our capacity to see. The gospel of Jesus renders astrology useless. We no longer need the guidance of the stars. We are guided by a greater light given to us by the teachings of Jesus. When the magi found Christ, they no longer went back to their former ways. “They departed for their country by another way.” The Christian path is no longer a groping in the dark. It is not a guessing game. Rather, it is a confident journey from light to greater light. We do not worship a god we do not know. We know him for he has revealed himself to us. We know he is true and all his ways are sure.


O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

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