YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (4)
YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
HOMILY THEME: THE VISIT OF THE MAGI…..”They went into the house and when the
YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
HOMILY THEME: THE VISIT OF THE MAGI…..”They went into the house and when they saw the child with Mary his mother, they knelt and worshipped him”
BY: Fr. Joaquim VILLANUEVA i Poll
HOMILY: Today, the prophet Isaiah encourages us: «Arise, shine, for your light has come. The glory of Yahweh rises upon you» (Is 60:1). The light the prophet has seen is the star which the Three Wise Men see in the East, like many other men.
The Magi discover its meaning. Others consider it as something admirable, but that does not affect them. And, so, they do not react. The Three Wise Men realize the fact that, with the star, God is sending them an important message for which it is worthwhile leaving comfort and safety to take on the risks of an uncertain journey: the hope of finding the King leads them to follow the star, which the prophets had spoken of and which the people of Israel had been waiting for centuries.
They arrive in Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews. They are sure that there they will be shown where the King has been born. Indeed, they will be told: «In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote» (Mt 2:5). The news of the arrival of the Magi and their inquiry spreads around Jerusalem in a very short time: Jerusalem was, at that time, a small city and the presence of the Magi with their escort must have been noticed by all its inhabitants, thus «when Herod heard this he was great¬ly disturbed and with him all Jerusalem» (Mt 2:3), the Gospel tells us.
Jesus Christ crosses the paths of the lives of many people who are not interested in Him. A little effort would have changed their lives; they would have found the King of Joy and Peace.
This requires a willingness to look for Him, to move around, to ask without losing heart —like the Three Wise Men— to leave our comfort, our routine. It requires an effort to appreciate the immense value of finding Christ. If we do not find Him, we have not found anything in life, because only He is the Savior: finding Jesus is to find the Path that leads us to know the Truth that gives us Life. And without Him, nothing is worthwhile.
Fr. Joaquim VILLANUEVA i Poll (Barcelona, Spain)
