Deacon Steve's homily for Epiphany - Jesus came for all nations

Epiphany – A

A Savior to all nations

Children do the darndest things, don’t they?  I read this story the other day.  It was the day after Christmas at a church in San Francisco.  The pastor of the church was looking at the manger scene, when he noticed that the baby Jesus figure was missing from the cradle.  He immediately turned and went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon walking down the street.  And in the wagon, was the figure of the infant Jesus.

So he walked up to the boy and said, "Son, where did you get that little baby Jesus that's in your wagon?"

The little boy replied, "I got him from the church."

"And why did you take him?" asked the pastor.

The little boy replied, "Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed to the little Lord Jesus.  I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride around the block in it.”

Here’s another story that I read.

There were three little boys, five and six year olds, who played the role of the three King’s at their Kindergarten Nativity Play.  They came marching in before the manger with paper hats and each carrying one box.

The first boy laid his box before the baby Jesus and announced, “I have brought you gold.”

The second laid his box down and announced, “I have brought you myrrh.”

Now the third boy came down with sudden stage fright, but he plowed through it, remembered he had to put his box down but forgot his line.

So he announced, “Frank sent this.”    Out of the mouths of babes!

My friends, we just read in Matthew’s gospel this familiar story of the magi.

The 3 wise men traveled a great distance from the East in search of the newborn king of the Jews. And they came bearing gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. These gifts were significant.  Gold is a royal gift fit for Jesus the King.  Frankincense is a symbol of prayer, signifying that Jesus is the Son of God.  Myrrh is used to anoint the dead, signifying that Christ would die for the salvation of all people. In this event, my friends, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany and it is more than giving and receiving gifts. 

For the word Epiphany actually means ‘a personal encounter with God’. To know and encounter Jesus is to know God personally.  In the encounter of the wise men with Jesus we see God’s plan to give his Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jewish people but for all the nations and people as well.            Jesus came so that both Jew and Gentile might find true and lasting peace with God.

In our second reading, Paul tells the Ephesians:

“that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

This was a radical idea to the Jewish people of 2000 years ago. They believed that the messiah was to come for them, not for the entire world. They believed the messiah was to come to free them from bondage and slavery and lead them to freedom and peace. They believed that he belonged to the Jews; not to the Gentiles. Or so they thought. But God’s plan was for his Son to come for all peoples.

People of every race and ethnicity.  People of every language.

People of every culture.  People who are rich. People who are poor.

Jesus came to save all people.

And that, my friends, is what the feast of the Epiphany is all about.

The Jews didn’t have a monopoly on Jesus the Messiah. Jesus came to save all peoples of the world. Think about it, throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus reached out to the outsiders and the outcasts. He ministered to the Jews and the Gentiles, the rich and the poor, the sick and the healthy. 

Jesus founded his church to do the same. The word ‘catholic’ means universal. The Roman Catholic Church is Christ’s universal church reaching all 4 corners of the earth.

The church today truly epitomizes diversity.  Over 1.2 billion people worldwide make up the church, the Body of Christ.

Pope Benedict had this to say:

“Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. All Christian tradition has ever seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.”

Today, let’s be thankful for the feast of the Epiphany – where the magi have a personal encounter with God though the Christ child.  May we be thankful for the great gift of salvation that God gave to all of us through his Son, Jesus. And may we be mindful of the fact that all people are made in God’s image and likeness and have been given this gift of everlasting life.  May we remember that that we are called to help spread this good news to all people throughout the world.

In a few minutes we will approach the altar to feed on Christ in the Eucharist. Let’s pray that God gives us the grace to do our part in spreading the good news. Let us also pray for the courage and strength to accept all people as the Body of Christ.

God bless!

Deacon Ron's homily for Epiphany - Like the Magi, we too can personally encounter Jesus

Good morning!  Today we celebrate the Epiphany when the Magi came to find a newborn king.  We’ve also just started a new calendar year, which is a time that many of us are making resolutions to improve ourselves.  I hope that the Magi’s quest will help inspire your resolutions for the New Year. 

In today’s Gospel we hear about two main characters, Herod and the magi. There is a sharp contrast between them. The magi were Persian mystics that advised kings through interpretation of stars.  They were known for their wisdom. As advisors to kings they would be pretty well taken care of.  What would cause them to leave the comfort of their homes and travel so far in search of a newborn king?  There must have been some reason, an inner unrest and a search for hope, which caused them to seek for answers.    A biblical prophecy known outside Israel may have prompted them,

“I see him, but not now, I behold him, but not nigh; a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” (Num 24-17)

The magi may have been seeking a savior for their situation, and this prophecy led them to Israel.

The Romans had appointed Herod as king of Israel, who was not of Jewish lineage.   This was probably through his political connections and his desire for power. The fact that he was not Jewish may have made him a bit paranoid. He was such ruthless ruler that even took the life of two of his own sons to defend his power. When Herod hears the magi are searching for a newborn king he’s troubled as it’s a threat to his wealth and power.  In learning that Bethlehem is the place where the newborn king is to be born he secretly asks the magi to go there and report back so he can pay homage.  We know this is a lie, as Herod plans to eliminate the newborn king.  He acts with fear, disrespect, and greed to protect his own interests.

The magi were searching for the newborn king and followed the star far from their homeland. We are told the magi were overjoyed at seeing this star, a reaction quite opposite to Herod. The magi’s encounter with the child Jesus brought about a profound reaction from them.  They had an epiphany.

The word Epiphany actually means ‘a personal encounter with God’.   To know and encounter Jesus is to know God personally.  So what did the magi do? They prostrated in homage and opened up their treasures offering their best gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This response showed reverence and honor for a divine king.  After their personal encounter the magi didn’t go back to Herod as God warned them in a dream to “depart for their country by another way”.  When we personally encounter Jesus like the magi and fully understand who he is, he will lead us in the right directions, which will bring us joy.

In today’s world there are still “Herods” at work trying to eliminate Jesus out of fear that He will take away their power.   Nativity scenes have been banished from public places.   The words Merry Christmas have been discouraged and replaced with Happy Holidays.   In some places, Jesus name is being removed from Christmas carols.

Fortunately we have the Church that makes the personal encounter with Christ possible.  We celebrate Advent and Christmas every year so we can experience Him coming in the world as a baby like each of us.   We are also blessed to have the personal encounter with Jesus in the sacraments.  He feeds us with his body and blood, anoints us with oil to spiritually strengthen us in illnesses, and gives us peace when we hear Him forgive our sins through His priests.

I had a unique experience while visiting another church over Christmas that brought this all together.  This church had a large nativity scene in the sanctuary.  As I went up to receive communion the minister held up the cup and directly behind it the baby Jesus was in the manger with arms wide open.  It reminded me of a few of the many gifts that Jesus gave us: the gifts of himself in Church and Sacrament.

So as you choose your New Year resolutions consider making it a priority to seek a personal encounter with newborn king as the wise magi did.  They had a profound personal experience that brought such joy and gratitude that they offered homage and gave their best gifts to him.  God in return showed led them in the right direction steering clear of the dangers of Herod. By being in relationship with Jesus daily we can have the same joy, gratitude, and right direction in our lives.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had this to say in his first encyclical, God is Love:

“Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction”.

In making your resolutions a few suggestions to consider are:

1)  To schedule time to be with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration.

2)  Commit to reading one of the books handed out by the parish this or past Christmas.

3) Spending time with Jesus daily by reading or listening to the upcoming Sunday or daily Mass readings.

4) Commit to frequent encounters with Christ in the sacraments and to learning what Church really teaches about them.

5) Sharing the talent that you consider the greatest gift God has given you to help others encounter Christ.  It may be as simple as talking about your faith with co-workers or helping in an outreach ministry through the parish. 

I hope that you and your families have a blessed New Year as you personally encounter Christ each day experiencing joy & gratitude just like the magi.