By Suzette Yap-Saunders

Member Pastoral Council 2008-2011

January 3rd, 2010

First Reading
Isaiah 60:1-6
Jerusalem shall be a light to all nations.

Second Reading
Ephesians 3:23a. 5-6
Gentiles are coheirs in the promise of Christ.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi seek out Jesus and do him homage.
The first reading from the Book of Isaiah spoke about a light that will come upon Israel; certainly this light is a symbol of the promised Messiah who would soon rise among the people of Israel.  Furthermore Isaiah emphatically foretells that Jerusalem shall be a light to all nations and the world will come to their light to pay homage, bringing gold and frankincense proclaiming the greatness of the Lord.

The second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul, tells the Ephesians that God’s revelation is universal and was revealed to St. Paul and the holy apostles by the Holy Spirit that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and shares in the promise of Jesus Christ through the gospel.
In today’s gospel, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord.  Epiphany celebrates God’s revealing or manifesting of Jesus’ identity as true God, Messiah, and Savior of the world.  The Gospel Reading narrates of the event of the three wise men from the East that followed the star that led them to the Child Jesus. They followed the brilliant star in the sky which to them was a symbol of hope, of joy and of peace. 
On finding Him, they paid homage and offered gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Gold a valuable precious items,  is a symbol or a proclamation that He is King, frankincense or incense  is a symbol of holiness and reverence, and Myrrh which was being commonly used as anointing oil and an  embalming oil is a symbol of death and Jesus becoming human.
When the Magi set out to find the Messiah, they set out on a journey, not knowing where it would lead them, how long the journey would be, and how they will be received in the foreign land of faraway.  They did not know what the King would look like nor when if ever they are returning home, yet they chose to make the journey. They followed the star until it brought them to Bethlehem and to Jesus.   They embarked on a journey of faith,  which is similarly what is asked of us, to embarked on a journey with God, not knowing where our journey will lead us and certainly not knowing what we will find along the way yet knowing and trusting that God goes before us, and with us and the journey is not in vain.  The same star that leads the Magi will also lead us to Jesus our King and Lord
The Magi were foreigners yet they went to great lengths to find the King of the Jews to pay him homage. Today, the Epiphany of the Lord and the second reading, reminds us that  for God there are no foreigners, no outsiders  We are all equally children of God, equally beloved, whatever our physical appearance maybe and whatever cultural differences we may have, we have one Father, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ,.  All are called, the rich and the poor, the privileged and the lonely, the healthy and the sick, the saints and the sinners, the young and the old. May this Epiphany season be a time of discovering or rediscovering God's love for all of us.