Is 60:1-6; Psalm Ps 72; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Let There Be Light

My Dear People of God, today we celebrate the Solemnity of Epiphany (the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Light of the world); and we join the whole of creation to lift up the Chalice of Salvation and praise our God.  

Beloved, Scripture tells us that before God created the world, there was total chaos and. darkness. So God created the world in order to dispel darkness and bring joy, order, peace, and life. Do you remember how it all begun? What was the first thing that God did in creating the world? He spoke: Let There Be Light!  St. John, in his Gospel, tells us that the Word that God spoke, is also the Light of the world, through whom all things were created; and that the Word, has become flesh in the person of Jesus Christ in order to dispel darkness and bring about the new creation. 

In our first reading, God tells us to rise in splendor and shout for joy because our Light, Jesus, has come. Because of him, darkness will give way and Goodness will reign. God tells us that Jesus, our light, will shine on us and because of him people will draw closer to us and praise our God. This is what St. Paul emphasizes in the second reading by reminding us that we are coheirs and partners with Christ in his mission as the light of the world. God created each one of us to be his partner and co-worker in bringing light to the world so that darkness will be no more. That is what Christ meant in Mt. 5: 14 when he told his disciples: “You are the Light of the world”. (Reach out to somebody and tell the person “You are the Light of the world; so let there be light!”

Beloved in Christ, there are times that we succeed in being the light and there are times we fail to be true light to the world. Our Gospel reading today reminds us of how to be light. The Gospel tells the story of how the Magi came to find the light and brought that light to their people. In the ancient world, the Magi were people whose job was to read the signs in nature to advice the king about what to do in order to keep the country safe and bring about development. So they were people whose job was to find solutions to the problems that their society was going through. There are few lessons that we can learn from the Magi.

1.     They did not allow the darkness to discourage them.  The Magi begun their journey by looking at a star. This is symbolic. Usually, you can see a star when there is darkness. You can also use some gadgets to see the star during the day but I do not think that at the time of the Magi technology had advanced as it is today so, obviously, they saw the star in the darkness. This means that when they begun their journey things were not okay; there were problems with their country, communities, families, and their personal lives. However, they did not allow the darkness to discourage them. They faced the darkness and it is by facing it that they found the star of hope that things could be better. Beloved, that is what faith is about. It is about facing the darkness and believing that regardless of what is going on, there is a way out because the is a Savior, Jesus Christ. That is what we need to learn from the Magi to become light for our country, our community, our family and even our enemies.

2.     Human wisdom alone is imperfect in solving the problems of the word. We need the Word of God to find the answers to the problems of life. When they followed their human wisdom it took them to the palace of Herod where they almost lost their lives. It was only through the revealed word of God, which was read to them that they came to know the place where hope could be found, in Bethlehem. We need the Word of God. Without Christ, we shall be lost.

3.     Finally, they worked together; they were a team. That is how light is formed. The formation of light is the coming together of one electron with others. Each one of is like an electron and when we come together in love, we produce energy, which becomes light for the world and drives away darkness. 

So Beloved, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Epiphany, let’s remember that we are the Light of the world; and work as a team by forgiving those who have offended us (Husband, wife, children, parents, friends, co-workers, people at church etc).   In this way, there will be Light in the world.