Sermon Cloud

Am I just dreaming ... or does the pace of life seem to be getting faster with each passing year? Less than two weeks ago, the Christian world celebrated the festival of Christmas, but it seemed that the sun had barely set on that day before the carols, which had been playing on the radio for almost two months in some cases, were replaced with tunes from the modern hit parade.

Those who were brave ... or crazy enough to go anywhere near stores on Boxing day or even a few days afterward, discovered that in many cases, any evidence of Christmas that was present in our stores seemed to have 'miraculously' disappeared.

In contrast to this dizzying pace, and perhaps in spite of it, the liturgy invites us to celebrate today the Epiphany of the Lord. This is kind of a 'little Christmas' since with the visit of the Magi ( Mt 2:1-12) recounted in today's gospel, the Church celebrates the revelation of Emmanuel not only to his family and to those who visited from the surrounding countryside, but to the whole world, including those from far and distant lands.

This weekend, some Orthodox Churches also celebrate Christmas, so this is one of the rare occasions when the whole Church, including those from the East and the West celebrate together the incarnation of Christ who brings the light of faith to a world which is too often darkened by fear and doubt.

The Epiphany is the fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah which we heard in today's first reading, "Arise, shine, for your light has come" (Is 60:1). We celebrate today because with the birth of Christ, the glory of the Lord has risen upon us and upon all people of faith. Saint Paul knew this, and tried to explain it to the Christian community at Ephesus. In today's second reading, he says we have all become "heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise of Christ" ( Eph 3:6).

Like the Magi, the experience of meeting Jesus changes our lives, and we too can rise from this encounter and leave by a different road ( Mt 2:12). Having met the Lord, and offered our gifts, feeble as they are, we can now go out to our world, identifying Christ who lives in each of us his people, feeding those who hunger with the food of our love and understanding. Clothed in love, we can now respond to those who find themselves naked, fearful and searching for acceptance. Refreshed by the forgiveness we have celebrated, we can now respond to the thirst of those who do not even know what they are seeking.