Epiphany: God is made visible!

01-05-2020Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

Today’s feast, my dear friends, commemorates thepublic manifestation of God in the person of Jesus. Thestory in today’s Gospel passage tells us of three wise menfrom the East who undertook a tedious journey to beholdthis God-made-visible. This journey is the journey of everyhuman person. It is our journey. The journey towards thefulfilment of our heart’s desire. It is the fulfilment of what StAugustine encapsulated so beautifully, “You have made usfor yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in you?” It is the story of the human heart as it longs for the Eternal beloved, as St John of the Cross sings, “Wherehave you hidden, Beloved, and left me moaning? You fledlike the stag after wounding me; I went out calling you, butyou were gone.”

The story of the wise men is the story of our innerthirst: the search for the God who can quench this thirstand the fruits of that encounter. I would like to share areflection on three elements that we can see in the Gospel of today that is also part of our own spiritual journey, our Christian life journey.

When we focus on the wise men, the theme of thegospel is about searching, finding, and the giving of gifts.These themes, however, are not the deepest truth oftoday’s feast. To find that truth we must not look at whatthe wise men do, but at what Jesus does. And what doesJesus do? He receives the gifts that the wise men offer.This action is arguably the first action of Jesus everrecorded in the gospels: to accept the gifts that are given. Itis an action of profound significance, because it is anillustration of what is most fundamental about the Christianlife: that being a Christian is not about what we do, but what we accept; it is not about giving but about receiving. Being a faithful Christian is not about doing. It is about receiving.This is why the first action of Jesus in the gospels is toreceive the gifts of the wise men. Jesus receives gold,frankincense, and myrrh to remind us that we need toreceive the value of our own person, the mystery of God’saction in our life, and the reality that pain and evil cannotstop the plan of God. Those are three gifts we need toreceive, for it is only by accepting them that we can followChrist and fulfill the promise of Christmas. Special thanksand appreciation for all of you who gave me Christmasgreetings with gifts. Happy New Year 2020.

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