0613 DO WE STILL SEEK OUT JESUS? (The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Cycles A, B, C. Ref. Rdgs. 1st. From the book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-6. 2nd. From the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6. 3rd/Gospel. From the holy Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12. Responsorial Psalm. Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13) The Missal defines Epiphany as the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the World. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East together with His Baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. In the Magi’s coming to Jerusalem, we see the extent, the scope of the revelation of God given through the prophets of the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of humanity. Even to the far lands in the east, this prophecy has been given, giving credence to the truth, as St. Paul states, ‘’...THAT THE GENTILES (THE PAGANS) ARE COHEIRS, MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY AND COPARTNERS IN THE PROMISE IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPEL..,.’’, a secret for generations hence, now revealed, as we SEE NOW IN THE VISIT OF THE MAGI FROM THE EAST. Isaiah foretells too, that WHEN THE LIGHT SHALL SHINE UPON JERUSALEM, all nations, all peoples shall come and seek the light to be upon them as well...a universal salvation for all regardless of boundaries and/or color. In a world, today, of advances and progress and technological discoveries, humanity has obscured, most times, intentionally, setting aside JESUS as just a personage who has done the most effective changes in the history of humanity...that’s it...through generations and centuries, the clouds of darkness has effectively curtained off the truths about JESUS, THE REALITY OF HIS EXISTENCE...the computers, those little boxes of wonders and efficiency, taking over, feasting on the kudos and attention from avid users for gamings and communications and browsing through... In such a world of awesome gadgets, DO WE STILL SEEK JESUS, OUR ORIGINAL WONDER WORKER, OUR KING, OUR LORD, OUR GREAT HEALER? DO WE SEEK HIM WHO GIVES PEACE, COMFORT AND CONSOLATION, CARE AND CONCERN, LOVE TO THE DOWNTRODDEN, MEEK AND HUMBLE, MARGINALIZED AND NEEDY, THE WIDOW AND THE ORPHAN? I remember the words of a priest-friend of mine who has acted at chaplain for trips to the Holy Land: ‘’If you want to feel the travails of Jesus, His way of the cross, His treks through the Holy Land, in Galilee, the Jordan, calvary...if you want to feel JESUS, go to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage!’’ If we feel an emptiness in our hearts, it is most probably because we have left out Jesus in our life. As St. Augustine says, ‘’Our hearts belong to God, they will not rest until they rest in God.’’ Many do feel a need for an ‘’EPIPHANY’’, a manifestation of Jesus in their lives, but have not identified this as such. And so,we see suicides, undue violence, where people get desperately in need to shout it our, to strike, or just feel an urge to be violent. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28, ‘’COME TO ME ALL YOU WHO LABOR AND ARE BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST,...TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN FROM ME, FOR I AM MEEK AND HUMBLE OF HEART; AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOURSELVES. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN LIGHT.’’ Let us be the seed that falls on fertile ground; and grow lush in our faith; productive and fruitful as we live our Christian Lives with Jesus as the Center, ever present in our hearts. YES, WE NEED SO MUCH TO SEEK OUT JESUS...EVERY TIME... The Blessed Mother of Jesus, Mary, has a formula for us, as we go through difficulties on this difficult earth (Msg. 105, ‘’Your Difficulties’’, To The Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons), ‘’And you, how are you to respond (to these difficulties)? As Jesus did: BY SILENCE, BY PRAYER, BY LIVING IN INTIMATE UNION WITH THE FATHER...IN THE LIGHT OF THE FATHER, ALL THAT IS NOT TRUE, ALL THAT IS NOT GOOD, ALL DECEIT AND ALL CALUMNY DISSOLVE OF THEMSELVES LIKE MIST IN THE SUN...’’ Let us pray: FATHER, ETERNALLY PATIENT AND MERCIFUL, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE UPON US, UNWAVERING AND TRUE, LIKE A BEACON THAT CONTINUOUSLY GIVES BRIGHTNESS TO THOSE WHO NEED GUIDANCE AND ARE LOST, EVEN THROUGH THE STRONG WAVES OF STORMS AND THE POUNDING OF TEMPESTS OUT THERE, THROUGH JESUS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO YOUR HIGHEST GLORY, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. .mcnol.010415.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 05:24:36 +0000
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