Feast of the Epiphany
Cycle B
January 7, 2018
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 4:00pm
and 8:00am
Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore 11:00am
A Star
I
think each of us has a star in our lives.
I
don’t mean a movie star, but I do mean that each of us has something leading us
either from inside or from outside ourselves toward some goal. Today’s gospel passage tells about the Magi
following a star and that star is leading them to the newborn Christ.
Last
Sunday, a college student named Brian at Saint Matthew’s Parish in Baltimore
enthusiastically told me that he would be entering pharmacy school this year. He is following a star that is leading him to
use his God-given abilities and pursue a career in pharmacy.
Some
of us may now be retired and our star may be to do whatever we can for our
loved ones and for anyone in need, even if we can only pray for them. So, the question is: what is our star?
And,
whatever our star is, will it in some way be like the star that the Magi are following? Will it in some way lead us to God or make
God more present on this earth?
Journey
Now
the Magi in today’s gospel are on a journey.
The
passage says that they come from the East, maybe present-day Iran or Iraq. They have left their home and are on a
journey.
This
journey image is a good way for all of us to understand our lives. We are all on a journey and a journey makes
some demands on us.
It
may mean that we leave our family home and enter a new life in the commitment
of marriage. It may mean that we read or participate in a Bible study program as
a way to come to a more positive relationship with God.
Seeing
our lives as a journey is challenging, but also life-giving. So the question is: what are the demands of
the journey that we are on right now?
Hurdles
Notice
also that the Magi detect a hurdle on their journey.
Their
hurdle is King Herod. Herod pretends to
be interested in this young child, but the Magi sense that he wants to do
violence to the child.
There
will also be hurdles for us as we follow our star and make our journey. Maybe we will get distracted by the lure of
having a good time all the time and waste our talents and opportunities.
Or
maybe someone is constantly trying to discourage us from following the star
that we believe is right for us. The
question is: what hurdles do we have on our journey?
Giving
Then the gospel tells us that the Magi give gifts to the newborn
Christ.
Maybe this is a good test of the star we are following and the
journey we are on. Does it lead us to be
giving?
Maybe our giving is simply taking good care of those in our
family. Or maybe we can give some of our
time to God’s work beyond our family.
Maybe we can bake casseroles for a soup kitchen or give time
teaching religion to the children. The
question is: What are we giving to God on our journey?
Change
And finally, the gospel tells us that the Magi had to change their
plans.
After seeing the child, they are warned in a dream not to go back
to Herod, but to return home by another route.
The insight here is that getting close to the Lord Jesus may also change
us.
In fact, change and growth seem to be what the star and the journey
are all about.
So, for example, maybe we are being led to see things more from
the perspective of those who are different from us, as the Magi and shepherds
in Bethlehem are very different kinds of people, and stop criticizing or putting
these people down. The question is: How is
our star or our journey calling us to change?
Conclusion
I guess what I am really saying is that this simple, little story
of the Magi is really our story.
The star, the journey, the hurdles, the giving, and the change – all
the pieces of this story reflect the life experience of each one of us. They may lead us to some good reflection today.
