The Epiphany of the Lord

 

The Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60:1-6, Mt 2:1-12

The Gospel today is rich with symbols:

 

• The Journey,

• the Personalities from distant lands,

• the star, its disappearance and reappearance,

• the gifts,

• the difficulties,

• the dream….

 

All have a unique meaning, especially for Christians, and if contemplated can lead us to where it led the Magi:

 

To Faith in Christ.

 

Faith is indeed a long journey, a life-long one.

 

This Faith journey leads us from the security of the “Lands” we are familiar with, to a far-off place where the rules of the game are very different.

 

It requires courage to set out on such a journey when we could stick to the comfort and security of home and “do just what everyone else does.”

 

It requires us to persevere and continue the journey, especially when it is not clear where we are going…. because with all real journeys of faith, more often than not, the specific route and destination is unclear.

 

But where does such faith come from?

 

I think we all understand that it can’t be purchased, or even earned.

 

Faith in Christ is a grace; or rather it is the grace of all graces.

 

A gift given to us.

 

But this gift is not to be kept for ourselves, it comes with responsibility.

 

I was once told that to whom much had been given, much is expected.

 

We are all called to share this gift.

 

And in sharing this gift, this gift of faith, our primary responsibility is to be a personal witness of what it contains.

 

We are responsible for doing what we can in the sphere of our own lives so that the light of Christ shines through us to others.

 

• However, someone who is constantly bad-humored, or self-centered, or continually sad, is not a sign that God lives within them.

 

• Nor someone whose behavior and conversation is coarse and lewd and who profanes everything he sets his eyes upon or turns his tongue toward, he is not a sign that the sacredness and the beauty of God is within him.

 

• Nor someone who destroys her neighbor’s reputation on a daily basis; She will not inspire others to say, “Look how they love one another.”

 

• Nor will someone who lives only to have more of the “stuff” of this world, be likely to make people catch a glimpse of the world to come.

 

We must honestly ask ourselves:  “What or who do I represent to those around me? 

 

And am I, a transparent window into what can be seen as the City of God?”

Today’s readings also show us that Christ is for all, for everyone.

 

And that the church must be a city placed on a mountain top so all can see and all can come.

 

This church involves each of us.

 

Every Christian, and more so, every Catholic, Is this church.

 

Each one of us is the church in the sense of being the place where Christ dwells and is to be revealed to those who do not know him.

 

So let us ask ourselves,

 

“Do I really believe that I am the dwelling place of God?”

 

“Do I have such faith?”

 

Many of us were born into a Christian family and it is difficult to appreciate how great the gift of “Faith” actually is.

 

It is easy to take for granted, and we often fail to exercise it.

 

And as we fail to recognize and utilize this gift, it can grow weak, and then we are only capable of short journeys with few or no difficulties.

 

Perhaps we can’t even travel past the everyday obstacles to find Christ our Lord.

 

Whether it is due:

 

• to a health problem,

• or that difficult sister-in-law,

• or the way that particular priest celebrates mass,

• or that particular habit my wife or husband has,

 

we have such little “strength of faith” that we lose our way.

 

Many people think of the New Year as a time for a new start, and for some it is, but in reality, we have all been on a journey for years,

 

• and we choose who or what we are searching for,

• who or what we follow,

• and who or what we desire.

 

The Magi have shown us through example, that when Christ calls, and we focus on him rather than on ourselves, we can persevere.

 

Even at times when the star seems hidden, with faith, it will reappear, and as we journey in faith, we will, come upon –

 

“The Savior of the World.”

 

So in conclusion……this gift of faith that has been given to each one of us awaits a response.

 

And like the Magi, God speaks personally to us as well, if only we will listen and believe!

 

Rise up in splendor, Jerusaelm!

 

Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

 

See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory.

Fatherhood

A few years ago my Spiritual Director shared a riddle with me and then sent me away to ponder the riddle until our next meeting.


Here is the riddle:

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

 

I thought and thought about the riddle and then I finally figured it out, the answer is “Nothing.”

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

A riddle can also be called a parable. Parables are stories that leave the listener without an answer. Jesus liked to use parables in his teaching and often left the disciples to try and figure out the meaning of such stories. And here we are today, some 2000 years later, still trying to figure out just what Jesus meant when he told the story of The Wedding Feast, The Dishonest Steward, The Good Samaritan, and even The Mustard Seed.

A wise theologian once said that we can not comprehend the parables of Jesus until we see ourselves in the story. Like a small child, recognizing herself in the mirror for the first time, when we see ourselves represented in the story, then we finally get it.

Then we realize that we are:

• the rebellious son who ran away with his father’s fortune,

• or the Levite who passed by the beaten man on the road to Jericho,

• or even the foolish man who built his home on sand instead of rock.

Once we see ourselves in the story, the story then takes on a whole new meaning, and we learn a little more about ourselves, and more about God. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the second parable in Today’s Gospel that speaks of the Kingdom of God:

“With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, what parable will we use for it?  It’s like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in it’s shade.”

Was the point of the parable that something small can grow into something great? Was Jesus perhaps saying that a small baby that was born in a humble stable would grow up to become a Savior, and people would find comfort and security in him? Could Jesus have been saying that this Church, which began with just a tiny gathering of fearful men in a small, upper room in Jerusalem, would one day become a gathering of millions of faith filled people? Or could this parable mean that if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, our faith would mature and grow, and would be enough to bring us to everlasting life? That is what is so wonderful about parables, there can be many different interpretations and meanings, and God has left it up to each one of us to figure it out for ourselves.

Today, However, I want to suggest another possible interpretation of the Parable of the Mustard Seed on this Father’s day. Could it be that the mustard seed is the child in our midst? We all know how much Jesus loved children, and how he would call them to him, even as the disciples tried at times to keep them away. Could Jesus be using the words of a parable to remind the fathers of every age that our children are our greatest gift, and our greatest responsibility? These children, these mustard seeds, are to be nourished, encouraged, protected, and guided, until they can grow to become the greatest of all plants.

But as Dads, we often become distracted and can fall short.

• We often work long hours to provide for our families and don’t have time or energy to play catch or help with school projects.
• We often are annoyed by our kid’s music and ask them to wear head phones shutting them out.
• We often try to mold them into what we want them to be, missing their uniqueness, and failing to support their dreams.

Assuming for a minute that Jesus told The Mustard Seed Parable to serve as a timeless reminder to fathers, there are also a few things I believe to be true as well:

• That the best way to love our children is to love, honor, and respect their mother.

• That the best gift we can give our children is a sense of safety and security as they grow up.

• That it is more important to give them our time, not our money.

• That it is more important to be respected by them, than to be liked by them.

• That it is more important to encourage them in their interests, than to require them to share in ours.

• And it is us, fathers, who are to teach, model, and live our Catholic faith fervently as the spiritual leaders of the home.

Like it or not Men, our actions speak volumes about us to our kids. They see everything we do, and what we don’t do, and they learn from us. They will always love their mother, but they will want to be like you. We have been given this great gift; some biological, some adopted, and some just placed in our lives.

Fathers play an irreplaceable role in the lives of children, and without their influence, lives of children are seriously affected. Just look around, look at a culture where so many homes are father-less. Look at how many children struggle without that Spiritual Leader in their midst.

With so many riddles in the world, the answers are often found in the examples of those who model for us God’s love, strength, and virtue. And as Saint Paul states in the 2nd reading, for we walk by faith, not by sight, and we aspire to please Him.

As mothers are the heart and love of the home, fathers are to be the spiritual leaders of the family, just as Saint Joseph was the spiritual leader of the holy family.

The Father who through his actions and example:

• nourishes his children,

• helps them to grow,

• at times may find a need to prune,

• but ultimately will form them with large branches

• and then, can joyfully witness how others will come to dwell in their shade.

Fathers, you are the reflection of Christ to your children, young and old:

• serve them well,

• fulfill your responsibilities,

• watch those seeds grow into something great, great in the eyes of God,

• and then, in this life and in the next, you Truly will be blessed.

Happy Father’s Day!

Advent - Be Awake! The joyful wait

Adapted Homily originally written by Msgr James P. Moroney.

I remember the day that Tom died, as Betty held his hand. She wept.

Oh, how she wept as she clung to his body in the hopes of somehow not losing the 39 years of married life they had lived and loved together.

The kids tried to console her, but it was of little use.

She just needed to cry until she couldn’t cry anymore.

The pain and the emptiness were much deeper than what I could ever have imagined.

She spent the next days and weeks longing for Tom more than she had ever longed for anything in her entire life.

She so wanted him to come back that every creak of the floorboard, and shadow around the corner, made her heart leap in hope.

Regrettably, time went by before I had realized it, it had been almost a year since I had spent any significant time with Betty.

She was still sad, but not as desperate as the last time I had seen her.

I inquired how she was doing and she told me about the day that made all the difference.

She said she had gone to Church and she was sitting all alone in the pew staring at the crucifix above the altar.

When all at once it occurred to her that it was not actually Tom for whom she longed, but God.

·     The God who she prayed would forgive Tom’s sins.

 The God who would keep her in his grace until the last day.

The God who had gone to prepare a place for Tom, and for her, and for all who loved others as he had loved them.

And her waiting for Tom was just a shadow of her deepest longing for God, her desire for love, and her desire to live in God and to know peace with him forever.

Don’t we all ache for God?

Don’t we all wait, waiting for something better, just like:

·   The addict in the alley behind the Gas station who waits for a God who will come and remove all that enslaves him.

How about the single mother who waits for a day when she no longer has to work fifty-four hours a week, a night when she can sleep 8, a life when she will finally know the kids will be ok.

What about the soldier in the Middle East who waits for a morning when there are no more explosions, and every look is not feared as the precursor to an assault, and when he doesn’t have to bury his new best friend.

Or the old man in the nursing home who waits for the day he will no longer be alone, when pain will no longer be his most constant companion, and when he can once again rest in the embrace of her whom he loved.

What about the prisoner on death row who waits for a place where he will no longer be seen as evil, for a life that makes sense, for a time when love can be given and received, for the coming of a God who will love him.

What about the investment banker who waits for the day when he’s not gripped by the fear that he’s about to lose everything, for the day when he can count his value in the quality of his love rather than the size of his profit.

Or what about the little child who waits within her mother’s womb for a world that will welcome her, and parents that will love her, and a country who will protect her.

As Christians we should all realize and recognize that we wait in joyful hope, with baited breath, as we gaze toward the Eastern skies in expectation of the one who rises with healing in his wings…

But Exiled in a Babylon of our own selfishness, we cry out:

“Rend the heavens, O Lord, and come down to us!”

Yet he patiently waits for us in that confessional, ready to embrace us, pick us up on his shoulders, and carry us home to himself.

Still longing to be loved, orphaned by our infidelity and broken promises, we cry out,

 “Why do you let us wander and harden our hearts?”

Yet he patiently waits on that altar, to feed us with himself and to make us sons and daughters of his Father, to live in us that we might live in him.

Still frightened that we have been abandoned, strangers in a strange desert, we cry out:

“Let us see your face and we will be saved!”

Yet he patiently waits for us in the poor, the sick, and the old, ready to console our frightened spirits.

Let us be honest, we all wait in joyful hope.

The part of us that is afraid to confess that secret sin.

The part of us that doesn’t think it’s possible to forgive what ‘that one’ did to us, or that God could really forgive me.

The part of us that cries in the middle of the night.

The part which feels empty and alone.

The part that’s overwhelmed and confused.

The part which amidst all the din and doubt waits…waits in silence for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ upon a cloud in all his glory.

 

My dear brothers and sisters:

This is a time for all of us to Wake up and to Get ready.

We are to be watchful and alert!

We are to go to confession, We are to celebrate the Holy and Sacred Mysteries like never before, and we are to pray; to pray deeply and honestly!

Also, we cannot forget about those around us.

We are to feed and care for the poor.

We are to go visit the prisoners and the old people in nursing homes.

We are to find the ones we have not yet forgiven and call them right now.

This is what the season of Advent is all about.

Making our hearts into mangers to receive our king, for He is coming. 

There is but one ultimate question that we need to ask ourselves and ponder:

 

Am I ready…to stand before the One who is Truth Himself, the One who knows my heart completely, the One who has seen everything?

 

Am I ready to meet the Creator of the world, the creator of my soul?

 

Am I..

 

Truly..

 

Ready?