HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (1)
HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: “MAGI 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.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)
BY: Fr. Robert deLeon, CSC
Matthew 2:1-12
The article popped up as I was browsing through Facebook. Entitled “Why Some People Really Don’t Need to Ask for Directions,” it sets a focus for our consideration on this Feast of the Epiphany. I share with you an excerpt from the article:
“Using a clever combination of virtual reality and brain imaging, researchers have located a ‘homing signal’ in the human brain, revealing why some of us are always getting lost while others navigate with ease. It all depends on signal strength and reliability (like wi-fi).
“To get anywhere, you need to know which direction you’re currently facing and which direction you need to travel in. Previous studies have shown that mammals like bats have neurons called ‘head-direction cells’ that signal the direction they’re currently facing.
“The entorhinal region is the part of the brain that tells you which direction you’re facing and which direction you should be facing as you move towards your destination. It’s where our sense of direction comes from, and the quality of the signals from this brain region determines how good your navigational skills are. Your internal ‘compass’ readjusts as you move through the environment.” (iflscience.com/brain , December 19, 2014)
The gospel passage we hear today invites us into a question—perhaps THE question: Where is God in this confusing, contorted world, and how do we move closer to God? It’s what humankind has been asking ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. St. Matthew wrote, “Magi 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.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)
The Magi, Persian followers of Zoroaster, were inspired by God to follow a particular star, a guiding light, to the place where a newborn king was to be found. Clearly, the inspiration to seek the light began in their hearts, not in their brains. Something deep within them, something from above and beyond, was calling them to move on to a new place. Someone from above and beyond was calling them in that eternal whisper, “Come to me.”
Like these Magi, we must be willing to change course. And I suppose this willingness only comes once we realize that our present course is not getting us to where we want to be. When we realize that our footsteps have led us off course, we look to correct the route. While the brain assists us in earthly navigation, it’s the human heart, home of the eternal soul, that keeps our sights ever fixed on our eternal home.
Where is God in this confusing, contorted world, and how do we move closer to God? The Magi were wholly intent on answering the question. The star that led them shines still above us—but mostly within us. While it shines brightly above, it burns even painfully within, compelling us to re- align our lives with our eternal destination and re-calculate our sometimes wayward earthly journeys.
