Homily (Reflection) for
the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (A, B, C) on the Gospel and the
Solemnity
Is
60: 1-6;
Ps
71:1-2.7-8.10-13 (R. cf. v.11);
Eph
3:2-3.5-6;
Matt 2:1-12.
While reflecting on
today’s gospel, I remembered one of the games we played during our childhood
days. It can be played by two or more children. Only one of them stands at a
time with sand placed round his or her legs. The rest will gradually reduce the
sand while chanting: “onye kwụrụ ọtọ,
egbutuo ya, sọ m bụ eze ga-akwụ ọtọ”, literally means that whoever stands must
be brought down except ‘I’, the king. This certainly may serve as a reminder of
the good olden days. Such is life. We have left the stage for others just like
those before us and the children on the stage now must leave it for others.
Topic: Your reign will not be eternal.
The wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem and asked:
‘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 (Matt 2:2-3).
Today is the solemnity of the
manifestation of Jesus, the newborn king, to the whole world. This brought joy
and sadness, calmness and agitation, peace and upset, and so on. One gift with
different effects on the recipients, cf. Jn
4:10; Rom 5:15; 6:23; Heb 6:4.
Have you ever looked back to see
what you were yesterday? No matter what you are today, do not forget what you
were yesterday. There was a time you were not, today you are, and tomorrow you
will not be.
These men from the East saw a star
and followed it. They are rightly called wise ones because they recognized the star
of the new born king when they saw it. The said star could not have been
visible to the wise men alone but they were the people who recognized it. Have
you ever seen any star?
Which star are we talking about? Those
days we spent time looking upwards for the star that lead the wise men. Each
will be pointing in various directions. Often, we end up quarrelling over whose
star was the right one. When one hears or reads about the star that made the magi leave the East, one’s mind may go
to those luminous bodies very far away. You may be right but in this homily, we
shall shift our minds a little beat. Looking into the sky may not affect our
lives in any way. People are gifted
differently, cf. 1Cor 12:4; Eph 4:11; Heb 2:4. In many fields, we have stars.
Therefore, let us not think that the star is just something very far away. You
have yours, I have mine, and the rest have theirs. But when one sees someone’s
star, what does he or she do? We all do not have the same star, cf. 1Cor 12:1-31. But we are called to use
our stars for the collective good, cf. 1Cor
10:24. At the appearance of other’s star/s, do you act like the wise men,
like the chief priests and scribes of the people or like Herod and his likes,
cf. Matt 2:2-6?
But why did the star disappear for
some time? The scripture did not say anything on that but I see it as an opportunity for Herod and others in
Jerusalem to recognize the Saviour. However, they did not make anything good
out of it, cf. Jn 1:11; Acts 13:26-28.
Herod’s reign has both a beginning
and an end. If we can always be conscious of the fact that whatever we are today
we were not yesterday, and will not be tomorrow, why do we waste opportunities creating
what will hunt both the ‘creator’ and others? What we create today will either
save or destroy us tomorrow. We must be
conscious of the legacy we leave behind.
My dear brothers and sisters in
the Lord make the best out of today. Again, do not waste your time trying to
stop other buds from coming up for fear of taking over from you. You will not
reign forever. Despite all the atrocities Herod committed he did not reign
forever. Encourage others to come up. A star will be even brighter with other
stars beside it. The more you struggle to stop others from coming up, the more
enemies you create for yourself and whatever is yours and more dangerous your
retirement will be. Furthermore, be happy when you see other people’s stars.
This will bring out your own star/s. When you try to stop or cover-up others’
stars, you will end up covering yours. Every star that deserves the name is of
God and as a result, no mortal can stop it because “E jighị aka ekpuchi ọnwa” literally meaning that no one can cover
the moon with mere hands, cf. Rom 13:1;
1Cor 7:7; 11:12. Do not fight against God, cf. Acts 9:4; Acts 5:35, 39.
Bible
Reading: Gen 37; Gen 41:37-57; Gen 45; Matt 2: 13-23; Acts
13: 26-52; Deut 11; 1Sam 17; 1Sam 18; 1Sam 31; 2Sam 2; 2Sam 5. 1Cor 12:1-31.
Silent Prayer: Whatever you are today, you were not
yesterday, and will not be forever. What you create out of today will either
save or destroy you tomorrow.
Let
us Pray:
Heavenly
father, help us to remember always how short our span is, to know that no material
thing will be eternal, and to make out of all your gifts what will save and not
what will destroy. We ask these through Christ, our Lord – Amen.
May
the star that led the wise men from the East to the new born King be your guide
now and forever + AMEN!
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