A few months after I arrived in San Diego, a distant relative studying in another state visited me. She had been in the U.S. for a few years but never in California. We both decided to go to Disneyland, which was the first time for both of us. With the help of GPS, we arrived without missing our way. After a wonderful day, we were returning to San Diego, a journey of about two hours. I put my home address on the GPS, not the type we have now on our cell phones; it was the Tom Tom navigation system, and I started driving. Believing all was well, I kept driving and following the GPS’ directions faithfully.
I became suspicious of the GPS when it said, “In one point five miles, you will arrive at your destination,” yet I could not recognize any of the structures around. My doubt was confirmed when the GPS said, “Arriving at your destination,” and I saw two sign boards in front of me that read, “Last USA Exit” and “Mexico Only.” That meant we ended up at the last exit before the USA/Mexican International Border, and any further step would have found us in Mexico, and we had no passport or travel documents to return to the USA. I turned to my guest and said, “We are in trouble, we are almost in Mexico, and we just have to begin Spanish classes now to survive this journey.” Long story short, we finally made it home after driving around for most of the night, refilling my tank, and asking for directions at gas stations.
My dearly beloved in Christ, today, we continue the joy of Christmas with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord. It is the celebration of the manifestation of the newborn King, Jesus Christ, to the gentile world, that is, the non-Jewish world. The Feast marks the visit of the Magi to Jesus in Bethlehem. They came with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When the time came for God to come into this world as a human being, he chose to come through a nation, a tribe, and a family. However, his mission was to the whole world and all of us. So, after he came into the chosen family, of the chosen tribe, of the chosen nation on Christmas day, today, the day of the Epiphany, is the day he reveals himself to the rest of the world through the Magi.
The Magi came to Bethlehem from the east to see and adore the newborn King, Jesus Christ. The Bible does not tell us where exactly they came from and how many they were, but the early Christians dug deeper into it and added more information to what we know from the Bible. So, even though the Bible does not tell us their number, we now know from the early Christians that the Magi were three in number; this probably came as an inference from the number of gifts they brought to Jesus. As for where exactly they came from, the Bible does not say, but from extra-biblical sources, we now know that one was from Africa, one from Asia, and one from Europe, representing the rest of the world.
The magi most likely had never been to Bethlehem. They had no luxury of the GPS and other navigation devices we enjoy today. So, how did they find their way? The Bible tells us it was by following a star. They recognize the star as the star of the newborn King at its rising, leading them to the correct destination. Today, we thank God for the gift of the star that led the rest of the world to the King, the source of the light from the star. During his public ministry, Jesus revealed himself as the light of the world, and he later passed on the responsibility of being the light of the world to us Christians.
Today, there are many Magi who seek Jesus. Many wise people have realized the truth of the birth of the newborn King and are ready to offer themselves as gifts to him. But they need a guide, they need a star, they need a GPS. Today, as Christians, by virtue of our baptism, Jesus has entrusted us with the responsibility of being the light, the star, the GPS to lead the rest of the world to him. But what kind of star are we? What kind of GPS are we? Are we like the true star of the newborn King that will lead them to Christ? Or are we like my old GPS that took me to the wrong place and tried to convince me that I had arrived home?
More Magi from all parts of the world still seek Jesus. Can we make it easier for them to find Jesus when they encounter us? When we tell them we are Christians, and they experience our forgiving spirits, it becomes easier for them to locate the newborn King. When we stand for the truth, even when it means standing alone, we make it easier for the Magi to find the infant King. When we help the needy and vulnerable, especially those incapable of rewarding us, we make it easier for the Magi to locate the newborn King.
However, when we, Christians, tell the world that heaven is our home and all they see us do is acquire earthly wealth just for ourselves, we get the Magi confused about the location of the newborn King. When we preach that nothing is hidden from God and go on to spread falsehood about others in their absence, we confuse the Magi about their destination. Being a star as a Christian requires constant self-examination. My dearly beloved in Christ, please, do not be like my old GPS; be like the star of Bethlehem so that after our sojourn hear on earth, Jesus would say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant, now enjoy the kingdom prepared for you.” Amen.
Homily for Epiphany of the Lord Year C 2025
Nice homily Padre.
More grace
Right on target as always! Your priesthood is such a gift to so many❤️