When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Today we celebrate Jesus' revelation to the Gentiles, represented by the magi. The Solemnity of the Epiphany is a celebration of God showing Himself to humanity. The invisible God whom no one has ever seen has now manifested Himself in the manger.
Man is in constant search of God. It is really quite frustrating to search for Him who is spirit and is, therefore, invisible. To be realistic, finding God usually meant to be in a good relationship with Him and to live one's life according to His will. But even so, finding God is still a difficult task. But, out of His wisdom, God has ended the hide-and-seek game and has made Himself visible to man. Yes, it was unthinkable, but to God, it was possible. He became man and showed us His glory in the person of Jesus. And Jesus, God Himself, showed us also how to find Him.
God knows the difficulty of our situation and the weakness of our human nature. Jesus is proof that God wants us to see Him. The star in today's narrative is another proof of this. God doesn't want us to have a hard time looking for Him. He Himself showed the way and He is the way.
All we have to do is to want to find Him. He has already revealed Himself in many ways in our lives. The presence with which He graced the magi is the same presence with which He graces us in the Mass. We see Him there in the sacrament. We see Him in the people around us. We hear Him in the loving advice of a friend. We feel Him in the comforting embrace of loved ones. We feel His presence in the people who help us in life. All we have to do is acknowledge His presence and allow Him to be part of our lives.
Like in the Gospel narrative today, there are different reactions to the news of Jesus' birth. Herod sought to kill the child as he considered Jesus a threat to his kingdom. The magi sought to do Him homage and to offer Him their gifts. We too, have our different reactions to Jesus' manifold ways of manifesting Himself to us. At times, we ignore Him and simply live as if we do not even have a God. Sometimes, like Herod, we are threatened by a new king. We want to be our own kings, to rule over ourselves and to live as we please; we therefore reject Jesus. The Gospel today shows us the better response to Jesus' manifestation. The Gospel invites us to accept Him and to try our best to get closer to Him.
Jesus makes His presence felt in our daily lives. He makes it easier for us to find Him. But the key to having an encounter with Him is to try look for Him. There is no encounter if we do not acknowledge His presence, even though He is just there revealing Himself. In God's act of manifesting Himself, we find out that it is not only man who is seeking for God; God is also seeking to be with us, for He loves us.
May we always make that effort to look for God, for it is no longer that hard to find Him. He no longer hides so it's easier to seek for Him. But the important thing is to seek Him and not to ignore His presence.
So let's not play hide-and-seek with Him anymore, because He Himself is looking for us.
Man is in constant search of God. It is really quite frustrating to search for Him who is spirit and is, therefore, invisible. To be realistic, finding God usually meant to be in a good relationship with Him and to live one's life according to His will. But even so, finding God is still a difficult task. But, out of His wisdom, God has ended the hide-and-seek game and has made Himself visible to man. Yes, it was unthinkable, but to God, it was possible. He became man and showed us His glory in the person of Jesus. And Jesus, God Himself, showed us also how to find Him.
God knows the difficulty of our situation and the weakness of our human nature. Jesus is proof that God wants us to see Him. The star in today's narrative is another proof of this. God doesn't want us to have a hard time looking for Him. He Himself showed the way and He is the way.
All we have to do is to want to find Him. He has already revealed Himself in many ways in our lives. The presence with which He graced the magi is the same presence with which He graces us in the Mass. We see Him there in the sacrament. We see Him in the people around us. We hear Him in the loving advice of a friend. We feel Him in the comforting embrace of loved ones. We feel His presence in the people who help us in life. All we have to do is acknowledge His presence and allow Him to be part of our lives.
Like in the Gospel narrative today, there are different reactions to the news of Jesus' birth. Herod sought to kill the child as he considered Jesus a threat to his kingdom. The magi sought to do Him homage and to offer Him their gifts. We too, have our different reactions to Jesus' manifold ways of manifesting Himself to us. At times, we ignore Him and simply live as if we do not even have a God. Sometimes, like Herod, we are threatened by a new king. We want to be our own kings, to rule over ourselves and to live as we please; we therefore reject Jesus. The Gospel today shows us the better response to Jesus' manifestation. The Gospel invites us to accept Him and to try our best to get closer to Him.
Jesus makes His presence felt in our daily lives. He makes it easier for us to find Him. But the key to having an encounter with Him is to try look for Him. There is no encounter if we do not acknowledge His presence, even though He is just there revealing Himself. In God's act of manifesting Himself, we find out that it is not only man who is seeking for God; God is also seeking to be with us, for He loves us.
May we always make that effort to look for God, for it is no longer that hard to find Him. He no longer hides so it's easier to seek for Him. But the important thing is to seek Him and not to ignore His presence.
So let's not play hide-and-seek with Him anymore, because He Himself is looking for us.
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