Jan. 3, 2021: Epiphany B
On this Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. Three Wise Men began their journey as part-scientists, part-stargazers, and part-philosophers. They allowed themselves to be guided by a star; they were attentive and obedient on their difficult journey in following the guidance of God. Perhaps because they thought that the great king would be born from the king of that time, King Herod , they arrived in Jerusalem. However, King Herod was as surprised that there was to be a newborn king under his watch; while providing assistance in assembling scholars to ascertain where the new king would be born, he was secretly harboring plans to eliminate his new competition. Upon hearing that the new king would be born in Bethlehem, the Magi continued the six-mile journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. There, they encountered a newborn in the most unexpected way; in a stable in the presence of a humble, poor couple.
In a mysterious way, the Three Wise Men recognized the Christ Child who was lying in a manger in swaddling clothes. It was not what they expected; he was not a king born in a splendid palace. Yet the Magi were led by a divine light to pay homage and present their gifts to the child. They left behind more than their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They left their former identities behind and returned home as witnesses to the Good News of Our Savior.
How were we changed by the celebration of the birth of Christ in the year 2020? Many of us felt fatigued as we journeyed through the year 2020. It was a strange, unfamiliar time for us, and we longed for something familiar to return in our lives. Once Pope Francis was addressing a group of 9,000 students, alumni, parents, and teachers of a school. A teenage boy stepped up to ask the Pope a question, “I am trying hard to believe in God and be faithful, but I often struggle with doubt. What can you say to help me and others like me?” Pope Francis answered,
“Always remember this: life is a journey. It is a path, a journey to meet Jesus… Journeying is an art because if we're always in a hurry, we get tired and don't arrive at our journey's goal. If we stop, we don't go forward and we also miss the goal. Journeying is precisely the art of looking toward the horizon, thinking where I want to go but also enduring the fatigue of the journey, which is sometimes difficult… A journey in which we do not encounter Jesus is not a Christian journey. It is for the Christian to continually encounter Jesus, to watch him, to let himself be watched over by Jesus, because Jesus watches us with love.”
As Pope Francis said, we are on a journey to meet Jesus. Like the young man, we, too, struggle with doubt. The hidden blessing of 2020 is that we were forced to stop and step out of the familiar world so that we may be stripped of all that is unnecessary, to genuinely listen to the voice of God, reflect, and change. Are we being changed every day as we encounter the presence of Jesus in the events and persons we meet? Are we going by another way as transformed believers as we read the scriptures, participate in mass, or pray? When we find ourselves discouraged, impatient, or angry about where we are, we need to pause and ask the Lord for the grace to recognize his presence. We need to remember that as we journeyed through this past year, we were guided by the constant presence of Our Lord and Blessed Mother. Our faith community, friends, and those who love us also walked with us this past year. As we continue our journey this new year, we equip ourselves with faithful prayer and renew our baptismal zeal to live out our lives as witnesses and disciples of Jesus Our Savior.
