January 6, 2019

Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12
It is an interesting adventure to ask ourselves: ‘Right now, am I in a positive mode or a negative
mode? Am I optimistic or pessimistic about the world and me in it? Am I feeling joined to or
separated from my faith and my church? Do I find myself living in joy and happiness or do I give in
to woe and gloom?’ Do I try to be a disciple of God’s peace and love or do I view that the world and
me are going to hell? Often we can find ourselves not being positive people. Often too, we can find
ourselves being people who want to help people and fill them with the joy of living in the now. So
where am I at today? Do I fluctuate? When I look at Jesus, His life and teaching and more
importantly His daily living we have to say that He was a totally positive person. He constantly
showed the people who were living in fear caused by horrendous living and working conditions
coupled with authoritarian strict laws that God is with them each day and God loves each person
each moment of each day. This again is the message of the readings today. We take a few moments
to gain insight into God’s message of love, peace and right living.
Isaiah is recognized as the greatest of the prophets and he appeared at a critical moment in Israel’s
history. The later part of the eighth century BC saw the collapse of the northern kingdom.
Jerusalem was surrounded by invading armies and when Uzziah, the king of Judah, died, Isaiah
received his prophetic call. He was granted a vision of the Lord enthroned in glory and Isaiah says,
“Woe is me, I am doomed! I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord of hosts…Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying ‘Whom shall I send Who will go
for us?’ Here I am, I said, send me! And He replied ‘GO’…’” (Isaiah 6: 5=8) Today’s passage contains
oracles from a later period which were composed by disciples who inherited the spirit of Isaiah and
continued his work. They are addressing the fact that wickedness still is rampant and justice and
honesty are not around. They are expounding a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65). Jerusalem is
to be a beacon for nations. They have been blessed by God…others are to see how God cares for all
people and loves them and is constantly renewing them closer to Himself. Light has come to lessen
the darkness. This light is not generated from any human source, it comes from God. Isaiah’s
disciples are telling Jerusalem and its people that they serve God’s purpose without compromise…
this is God’s plan. Do I realize that God has touched me as a result of my baptism to continue to let
‘my light shine’? It’s not really my light, but the light and love of God living within me.
Paul is sharing with the Ephesians his profound gratitude for the wonderful privilege that God has
entrusted to him to reveal more of God’s plan of salvation. The people of Isaiah’s time did not
understand this nor did the people of the OT period. They realized that God had ‘chosen them’ and
they were ‘God’s people’. But they did not realize that all people have been created by God. All
have been created in love. All have been promised Eternal life. Everyone has been called, chosen
in God’s plan: “…that the Gentiles are co heirs, members of the same body and copartners in the
promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” A Jewish person listening to Paul would find this
unimaginable but they are not to the God whom Jesus revealed. These words…these commands
challenge our world which often wants to exclude some of God’s children. The Second Vatican
Council in The Church in the Modern World #27 states, “In our times a special obligation binds us
to make ourselves the neighbor of absolutely every person, and of actively helping him when he
comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly
looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for sin he did
not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord: ‘As
often as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.’” (Matthew 25: 40) THESE
words make it our daily task to be aware…to care…to respond…to love as Jesus loves. These are
God’s commands! How am I doing?
We come to the gospel on this feast of the Epiphany. This feast identifies Jesus as the newborn king
of the Jews. Yet He will be rejected by His own people, the Jews, and He will be accepted by
foreigners and gentiles. Matthew, who is Jewish, points his readers back to the intrigue of the
Exodus story modeling the birth of Moses. Everything is connected and pointing to Jesus being the
Messiah. Persian astrologers arrive from the East having followed a mysterious star and were
seeking this newborn king. They knew who Jesus is and want to do Him respect and reverence.
Herod is totally caught off guard, and doesn’t want anyone taking his authority and comfortable
living away. The magi come, offer their gifts and leave. The REAL identity of Jesus has been made
clear. The Jews rejected this, the gentiles will accept it. God reaches out to each and every person
revealing Himself and His love. I reflect on how God has reached out to me. Reflect on how God
has reached out to you. Mary Ann Nicholls in Sunday Homily helps says” “How has God reached
out to each of us, revealing Himself in and through Humanity in the flesh? Perhaps it was the day
you bathed your first grandchild or the day you said, ’I love you’ and knew that it was about more
than romance and physical attraction— or the time you sat vigil with a dying loved one and knew
that you were on holy ground.” Just like Isaiah, God has called me and you to respond to each and
every one of His loved children. Am I aware that they are my brothers and sisters? Am I aware that
I have been created to be Jesus? Am I living as a person of love? I am never called to be passive but
to be a person of love. A person of love is never to be hidden or afraid because we are about God’s
call to be Jesus and His love at every moment.
I reflect on:
• In what places do darkness, fear, or our worlds’ division seem overwhelming to me?
• How do I find the hope that the Epiphany invites me to have?
• With what kinds of people have I been in contact: people of different races, religious traditions,
or nationalities? If so, how has my life been enriched by these encounters, and what has been
difficult?
• When have I had to confront a personal prejudice? Who has helped me confront it? How did it
happen? Was the person an insider or outsider to my particular group?
• When have I felt like an outsider or been treated like one? What did that feel like?
Sacred Space 2019 shares:
“The story told in today’s Gospel is about people being called to follow their stars to find the fullness of life
only Jesus can give. ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)
You may not have thought much about the nature of the star you follow. With a view to clarifying this, it may
be worthwhile to ask yourself what you want for your children, your family, or your friends. Having done this,
you might talk to Jesus about whether this is what He wants for you—if this is the star He wishes you to follow