The Epiphany of the Lord
January 7, 2024
“Jesus Came for Everyone”
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –
Tragically, there continues to be the violence of war in so many areas of our planet. Violence is the result of selfishness – which can be personal or collective. Violence usually happens whenever someone or some group forces their will upon others. Furthermore, violence can become like a “chain reaction” – it continues to increase unless it is resisted and quelled. Currently, we have ongoing violence in Ukraine, Russia, and Gaza. There also are civil wars in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia, Syria – and other countries, as well. Sadly, the perpetrators of violence forget a salient truth. It is that we are all members of the same human race – We are all brothers and sisters in the one human family – We were not created in isolation – Instead, we all have responsibilities to every other person on our planet. Furthermore, our ethnic diversity brings a richness that would not exist otherwise! The scriptures for today have much to teach us about our interpersonal responsibilities as members of the human family. God has created every person who has ever lived. God sent His Son to bring salvation to everyone. Jesus came for every man, woman, and child no matter what their nationality, color, or economic situation might be. However, we must recognize Jesus and accept him and his Gospel way of living to be saved. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that King Herod and all the religious leaders in Jerusalem were disturbed over what the Magi revealed to them. The Magi were holy men – but not of the Hebrew religion. Nevertheless, God revealed to them what the Jewish leadership missed. In his violent heart, Herod rejected the newborn king and sought to kill him. The leadership would reject him and crucify him, 33 years later! The Magi were able to discover and worship the newborn king because the light of God shone in their hearts and souls. The Holy Spirit was at work in their Gentile hearts with its divine light and love. And the light of the Star of Bethlehem guided them from pagan lands far away! In marked contrast, Herod and the Jewish leaders lived in darkness. It was the darkness of ego-centrism and self-love. They could not accept anything that challenged their thinking or their belief system – nor their power, their wealth, or their way of life. Jesus was far too much for Herod – even as an infant. As the Carpenter turned Rabbi from Nazareth, he was too much for the priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees! In his Letter to the Romans, Paul, who was himself a Roman and a Pharisee, tells us that God sent His Son for everyone without exception. The Jews were God’s Chosen People of the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law. However, Jesus established a New People of God which could include anyone. A person didn’t have to embrace Judaism to become a Christian – The pagan Gentiles were welcomed, as well! For “the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel”! The passage from Isaiah is prophetic and symbolic in so many ways. It points to the Magi who brought gifts for the infant King, God-Child, and Savior – It points to Jerusalem wherein Jesus would do so much of his teaching and ministry – It also points to a Heavenly Jerusalem which is the Kingdom of Heaven. Brothers and Sisters, there seems to be more and more violence everywhere in our world today. It is on our streets, in our cities, and on university campuses – Some countries have become battlegrounds for violent ideologies. Violence is in every criminal act that violates any person or anything. However, the only violence that should ever exist is the spiritual violence in our own hearts. For we must do violence to all those sinful things that keep us from God. These are the thoughts, behaviors, habits, words, and attitudes by which we harm others as well as ourselves!
So, let us pray, today, for peace at home and abroad – And may we treat everyone with love as our brothers and sisters in the universal family that God has created! Amen.
Dios ha manifestado su salvación a todo el mundo
La misericordiosa providencia de Dios, que ya había decidido venir en los últimos tiempos en ayuda del mundo que perecía, determinó de antemano la salvación de todos los pueblos en Cristo.De estos pueblos se trataba en la descendencia innumerable que fue en otro tiempo prometida al santo patriarca Abrahán, descendencia que no sería engendrada por una semilla de carne, sino por fecundidad de la fe, descendencia comparada a la multitud de las estrellas, para que de este modo el padre de todas las naciones esperara una posteridad no terrestre, sino celeste.Así pues, que todos los pueblos vengan a incorporarse a la familia de los patriarcas, y que los hijos de la promesa reciban la bendición de la descendencia de Abrahán, a la cual renuncian los hijos según la carne. Que todas las naciones, en la persona de los tres Magos, adoren al Autor del universo, y que Dios sea conocido, no ya sólo en Judea, sino también en el mundo entero, para que por doquier sea grande su nombre en Israel.Instruidos en estos misterios de la gracia divina, queridos míos, celebremos con gozo espiritual el día que es el de nuestras primicias y aquél en que comenzó la salvación de los paganos. Demos gracias al Dios misericordioso, quien, según palabras del Apóstol, nos ha hecho capaces de compartir la herencia del pueblo santo en la luz; él nos ha sacado del dominio de las tinieblas y nos ha trasladado al reino de su Hijo querido. Porque, como profetizó Isaías, el pueblo que caminaba en tinieblas vio una luz grande; habitaban en tierra de sombras, y una luz les brilló. También a propósito de ellos dice el propio Isaías al Señor: Naciones que no te conocían te invocarán, un pueblo que no te conocía correrá hacia ti.
Abrahán vio este día, y se llenó de alegría, cuando supo que sus hijos según la fe serían benditos en su descendencia, a saber, en Cristo, y él se vio a sí mismo, por su fe, como futuro padre de todos los pueblos, dando gloria a Dios, al persuadirse de que Dios es capaz de hacer lo que promete.
También David anunciaba este día en los salmos cuando decía: Todos los pueblos vendrán a postrarse en tu presencia, Señor; bendecirán tu nombre; y también: El Señor da a conocer su victoria, revela a las naciones su justicia.
Esto se ha realizado, lo sabemos, en el hecho de que tres magos, llamados de su lejano país, fueron conducidos por una estrella para conocer y adorar al Rey del cielo y de la tierra. La docilidad de los magos a esta estrella nos indica el modo de nuestra obediencia, para que, en la medida de nuestras posibilidades, seamos servidores de esa gracia que llama a todos los hombres a Cristo.
Animados por este celo, debéis aplicaros, queridos míos, a seros útiles los unos a los otros, a fin de que brilléis como hijos de la luz en el reino de Dios, al cual se llega gracias a la fe recta y a las buenas obras; por nuestro Señor Jesucristo que, con Dios Padre y el Espíritu Santo, vive y reina por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.