Homily: The Epiphany of the Lord, SUnday January 2, 2022

-

 ‘Epiphany’ comes from the Greek word Epiphaneia , which means ‘great revelation’, ‘appearance’ or ‘manifestation’.

On this feast of the Epiphany, what revelation, what appearance or what manifestation are we celebrating?

In the first reading, Isaiah prophesied that “upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory”. Thus, we are celebrating the great appearance of God’s glory. Why, how and what else?

Shall I ask you a question? At the very beginning, what was the first thing God created?

While you think, let me share an experience. When I was at Sacred Heart parish, on certain days of the week, the school would bring their students for Mass. One day, it was the kindergarten kids. During my homily, I asked them the same question, “what was the very first thing God created?”

Wow, they gave me so many answers, listed out everything under the sun… except the right answer. After they have tried almost everything, they were silent and thinking hard. Then one little girl from the back shouted out excitedly, “The United States of America”!

Haha! Well, she was not entirely wrong, if she was referring to Lady Liberty’s torch, which symbolizes enlightenment.

In Genesis 1:2, it is written, “the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss”, then in the next verse, “God said, let there be light and there was light”. Light was the first thing God created, to ensure that the rest of His creation will not live in darkness.

From then on, all of creation lived in the light. But many do not know the giver of this light.

Planet Earth on its own does not produce light. It needs the sun to light it up physically. Similarly, our soul on its own does not have light, we need the Son, S-O-N, to shine through us and light us up spiritually.

Thus, God chose to reveal His glory to the world, other than the Jews, by inviting the wisemen to worship His Son, the true King. This is the revelation we celebrate on this feast of the Epiphany.

I depend on the GPS a lot to move around in Iowa. But when I moved to SAC, I tried to minimise its use. Whenever I had to drive back to the parish after having visited a family or attended a meeting in another part of town, I would always search for a view of the tallest building in Iowa, the Principal Building. Using this building as my reference, I navigate the roads to get back to St. Ambrose.

Yes, it is easy when there is a good reliable reference point to follow. What is your reference point in life?

In the first reading, we heard “nations shall walk by your light.” Yes, when we are in the dark, we need light to help us walk in the right direction, physically and spiritually.

The wisemen followed the brightest star to find the true king. They were not Jews. They were from lands far away from Jerusalem. They were convinced that the newborn baby was someone of great importance, greater than the usual king. If not, they would not embark on such a long and unusual journey to seek Him. They had the wisdom of God. The special brightness of the star was their reference point. That star told them a lot about this King.

When they found him, in spite of the poverty of his condition, they recognised Him as the true king. “They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

In contrast, Herod and the rest of Jerusalem, who had the benefit of history and scripture, did not recognise the Lord’s coming. They had the wrong reference point. They were concerned with political power, personal profit, worldly satisfaction. They defended themselves and did Him harm.

God’s glory has been made manifest in the person of Jesus. He has shown Himself to the wisemen, thus His appearance, His revelation, His manifestation is for the whole world. We are such a blessed generation, as written in the second reading, “it was not revealed to people in other generations as it has now been revealed”.

You and I, living in this generation are blessed because we have the witness, the words, the conviction of the disciples who have seen, understood and written all these truths for us. These are our reference point. We have received the light.

Hundreds of generations before Jesus, lived and died without seeing the true light of God. What about us? Do we see the light? Does it guide us in our life? Or are we still attracted to the material and temporal things of this world?

Be careful, the good life now could lead to a condemned life after. God came as a poor baby and died a poor man. Mary lived simply despite being the mother of God’s Son. That tells us a lot about how we should live, doesn’t it?

This feast of the Epiphany of the Lord reminds us that we are blessed, simply because we have been given this faith. God has revealed His glory to all of us. Let us learn to adore and worship Jesus with the best of ourselves.

A 6-year-old girl asked, “Why did the kings give frankincense to baby Jesus? Why would a baby need perfume?” Her slightly older brother answered, “Baby Jesus was born in a dirty stable with smelly animals. His mother would need something nice to freshen the air.”

What can we give to Jesus? To Him, there is nothing more valuable than our heart, our mind, our soul. To accept Him into our life and love Him truly and fully. This is the best gift of gifts, for the King of kings. 

Amen.


Fr. Nivin Scaria


Comments

Post a Comment

Read

Homily: November 16, 2024 Saturday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary time (Find Faith)

-
 But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  Just a few days ago on Monday, we saw the disciples pleading with Jesus, and ourselves too praying for the same, “Lord, increase our faith.” So, has your faith increased since then? Because today our Lord is checking in with us, when He comes again, will He find faith on earth, will He find faith in us? I am sure we are able to answer ‘yes’! I see many of you coming regularly for daily Mass, serving passionately in the ministries, and doing your best to live a holy life. Very often, I would look back and am so thankful that I have faith in God. I think you would understand and agree too, because we know we would not have come this far in life if we didn’t know God, if we didn’t know prayer. But of course, there is still much to do in terms of spreading the good news. Just within Des Moines, I guess there are still thousands of people who live without faith. I really wonder how they will manage life, especially in i...
Read more

Homily: January 18, 2025, Saturday of the first week in Ordinary Time (High-Priest)

-
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." When someone is diagnosed with a major illness, they often turn to others who have gone through a similar experience. They seek advice about doctors, treatments, and coping strategies. Why? Because those who have been through the same struggles can empathize and possibly share insights about the situation, better than someone who has not been through it. They know the pain, the challenges, and the fears, the journey. Of course, not everyone’s experience will be the same, but the reference can be useful. I remember when my mummy was diagnosed with cancer, we asked many people who had cancer before which helped us understand some things about the condition.  In today’s first reading, we hear about Jesus, our High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and knows what we go through in life, because He has gone through it all...
Read more

Homilía: Julio 17, 2022, XVI Domingo Ordinario

-
 "Marta, Marta, muchas cosas te preocupan y te inquietan, siendo así que una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte". ¿Qué es esa única cosa que se necesita? Este consejo de Jesús es muy importante para cada uno de nosotros. Reflexionemos sobre las lecturas de hoy para entenderlo mejor. En la primera lectura, Abraham vio a tres hombres que estaban cerca de su tienda; inmediatamente se ofreció a servirles y les dio una buena cena, antes de que siguieran su camino. En la lectura del Evangelio, cuando Jesús entró en el pueblo, Marta y María lo recibieron. Marta se ocupó de preparar una buena cena para Jesús. Mientras que María, se sentó a sus pies a escucharle hablar. Marta se sentía agobiada y ansiosa. Necesitaba la ayuda de María para dar una buena comida a su invitado. Entonces Jesús dijo: "una sola es necesaria. María escogió la mejor parte...". Efectivamente, María eligió algo maravilloso. Sentarse con Jesús y escucharle hablar. Eso es lo que nos gustaría...
Read more

Homily: November 20, 2023, Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Hope).

-
"But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or profane the holy covenant, and they did die.” At the beginning of the first reading, the situation of the Israelites was disappointing. There were many ‘breakers of the law’ who ‘seduced’ their fellow Jews to discard their covenant with God. Many chose to disobey and disown God, and accepted the gods and deities of the Gentiles, believing that would protect their lives. They were quick to give up their faith in the generous God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses because of some difficulties and discomfort in life. That led to the persecution of the Jews during the time of the Maccabees. But when we come to the end of the reading, the determination of some of the Jews ‘not to eat anything unclean’ shows that there were many who kept the covenant with God and were faithful even in the face of death. There is hope. Looking at...
Read more

Homily: Janaury 13, Monday of the first week in Ordinary time (Come After me)

-
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus called out to Simon and Andrew. Without hesitation, they left their nets and followed Him. Just a few moments later and a short distance further, Jesus called out the same to James and John, and they, too, left their father and workers to follow Him. Did they know what was required to be fishers of men? What commitment did they have to make? What would it cost them to give up their familiar trade? What if the invitation turned out bad? What if it was a scam? What if Jesus was a false prophet? There are many considerations before making a major life changing decision, right? Yes, right, and that is what I would usually do when faced with a major decision. Very often I would think of the many options and alternatives, I worry about making mistakes, I worry about consequences, to the point where I would not be able to decide, I cannot move on, I feel overwhelmed. I would respond, “Let me pray about it.” Yes, I would pray...
Read more

Funeral Homily: William J. Baum, June 8, 2023

-
 The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. The soul of Bill is in the hand of God, no torment shall touch him. We are here to bid our final farewell to Bill, our beloved brother, grandpa, dad, husband, friend. I feel privileged to have known Bill these last two years and honored to preside over this Mass for his sending off. Many of you would have known him much longer and much better than I. I wish I had more time with him. I was awed when I read his obituary, his life story is inspirational. I know from my encounter with him that he was a dedicated husband, a loving and caring father, the greatest fan to every one of his grandchildren, and an incredible friend to countless people here and around the world. His going would surely leave a void in our lives. It is only natural that we grieve this loss. Bill was a man of remarkable character. His love for life, his sense of humor, and his thoughtfulness for others were the hallmarks of his persona...
Read more

Homily: April 25, 2023, Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist (Humility)

-
 “Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.” Humility – such a simple word but probably the most difficult to practice. It goes against our pride and ego. And the moment we think we are humble, we have lost it. As the river always flows towards the lower ground, so God's graces will also flow towards those who are humble of heart. The more we lower ourselves in humility, the more graces and blessings we receive. Mother Mary is the most humble woman, that is why she is full of grace. The logic is simple, the humble persons empty their hearts of ego and pride, thus having room for God’s graces to pour in. God wants to shower graces upon the arrogant ones too, but their hearts are so full of themselves, there is just no space for anything else. Thus they miss out on the precious graces of God. Those who are truly humble do not consider themselves higher nor lower than anyone, they do not have...
Read more

Homily: Noviembre 15, 2022, Martes de la XXXIII semana del Tiempo ordinario

-
 Ya en la primera lectura escuchamos: “Ponte alerta y reaviva lo que queda”. Cada palabra en la Biblia es inspirada por el Espíritu Santo, cada mensaje y enseñanza es tan relevante hoy, como lo fue en la antigüedad, y lo será hasta el final de los tiempos. Por eso el mensaje que nuestro Señor le dio a San Juan para la Iglesia en Sardes también está destinado a nosotros. La iglesia en Sardes tenía personas que dejaban la fe. Algunos incluso vivían en oposición al mensaje del evangelio que recibieron de los apóstoles. Miremos la iglesia en USA, ¿tenemos también la misma situación que Sardes? Vemos una gran decadencia de la fe en este país. El número de personas sin afiliación a ninguna religión va en aumento. Muchos creyentes tampoco son seguidores activos, son cristianos solo de nombre. En todas las parroquias de los EE. UU., el número promedio de católicos que asisten a misa con regularidad es de aproximadamente el 30-35 % del total de feligreses registrados, ¿dónde está el resto d...
Read more

Homily:August 18, 2024, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Wisdom)

-
 “Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed!” This generous invitation in today’s first reading is from Lady Wisdom. This reading is taken from Chapter 9 of the Book of Proverbs which portrays two women: Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. Our first reading presents only the invitation of Lady Wisdom. She invites us, ‘whoever is simple’, to her home to enjoy the real good life, one of understanding and food good for our body and soul, while Dame Folly attracts people to destruction. Many people seek wisdom, sometimes for unwise reasons, often in the wrong places, and in the wrong ways. Wisdom is unlike knowledge and intellect, it is not something we can gain through studying or hard work, it does not come automatically with age or experience; it is ultimately a gift from the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs 2:6, it says ‘For the Lord gives wisdom…” I am very blessed to have met many wise people who in ...
Read more

Homily: March 14, 2023, Tuesday of the Third week in Ordinary time.

-
 In the first reading we heard “But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received”. And our Gospel text today ends with these words “unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart”. It is very clear what God wants of us in our relationship with Him and in our relationship with one another. It is all about the heart. Worship God with a contrite heart, forgiving brother from our heart. So being a disciple of Christ is an inside job. From times of old, beginning with the Israelites, the tradition of pleasing God with burnt offerings, sacrifices, incense, first fruits and so on continues to our time. Our liturgy expresses our worship in similar rituals. And in this Lenten season, we are also encouraged to make sacrifices, fast, pray and give alms. All these are good and helpful in cultivating a spiritual discipline of self-denial and putting God in the focus, but if we do it without a sincere, contrite heart, would it really please God? Our God is a God who looks i...
Read more