Adorable Baby

Epiphany Sunday 2010

January 2-3, 2010

Adorable Baby

Two elderly gentlemen from a retirement center were sitting on a bench under a tree when one turned to the other and said:

"Jack, I'm 83 years old now and I'm just full of aches and pains. I know you're about my

age. How do you feel?"

Jack said, "I feel just like a newborn baby."

"Really? Like a newborn baby?"

"Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants."

The Church is still in a joyful mode of adoring the newborn baby lying in a manger whom we have waited patiently during advent season. We awaited for four weeks of Advent for the birth of baby Jesus. We lighted four candles in our advent wreath anticipating the newborn Messiah. The Feast of Epiphany is like a second Christmas. The radiance of our little baby Jesus is still with us to adore and worship. We continue celebrating the baby Jesus born to be our Saviour.

According to the Bible the “Three Kings” or “Three Magi” journeyed from the East following the Big Star leading to the place where the child Jesus is born, so they could worship him. Traditionally their names are Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They represent the Gentile world: non-Jewish or pagan people.

They were pagans but they must have felt that like everyone else they too are members of God’s children. They said, “We have come to do him homage.” They did not care if they were foreigners, strangers, pagans from the East.

Paradox

The Gospel story today highlights the paradox: the Jewish leaders who have received the Scriptures and heard about the Messianic prophecy (the coming birth of the Savior), were the ones who rejected it. While the Gentile people, represented by the Three Magi, would be the first ones to witness and adore the newly born Messiah.

King Herod, the Jewish national leader of that time, ended up trying the Child Jesus by massacring all the male children in Bethlehem under of two known as the "massacre of the innocents". He would not accept a newborn King is born. He will do everything for his love for power. He will compete directly with God in order to stay in power.

On the other hand, the Three Wise Men, acted the exact opposite, when they found the baby, they worshipped and humbly offered him gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. These three precious gifts tell us something about the life and ministry of the Child Jesus: Gold signified his kingship; frankincense signifies his priesthood; a sign his offering/sacrifice to God; and myrrh a symbol Christ’s saving death (myrrh, used in anointing a body).

For All Nations

More than anything else the Adoration of the Three Magi to baby Jesus brings us a theological illustration that Jesus Christ belongs to all. The child Jesus was born not for a particular group of people alone but for the whole human race. Christ is revealed as the Saviour, not of a select group of people, but of all peoples.

The Feast of Epiphany is something equivalent to “United Nations’ Week”. We celebrate the progressive unification of all nations around Christ as our center. St Paul explains this in the Second Reading, “it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.”

The Feast of Epiphany is like a Second Christmas because it brings everybody together. Jesus broke down the great barrier that existed between Jews and Gentiles. Everybody is welcome to receive and adore Jesus, the Universal King.

Our Journey to find the Star

Like the Three Magi we have our own journey to take, some are searching for enlightenment others for success. Like the Three Magi may we all persevere to reach whatever goals or journey we need to undertake in life.

Unfortunately sometimes we see ourselves perhaps like King Herod, who instead of welcoming Christ’s humbly and wholeheartedly, we reject him because we prefer comfort, popularity and power. Our pride closed our eyes, our ears and our hearts before the presence of Jesus. We are afraid to let God control our lives.

New Year’s Resolution

As year 2010 unfolds what gift or New Year’s resolution we could offer to God?

My New Year’s resolution is to eat healthy food. Unfortunately I broke my New Year's resolution on New Year’s day! I celebrated New Year's even with my sisters and cousins. We partied till late, had a few drinks. When I got up in the morning my sister was still asleep. I didn't want to wake up her up just to ask for some breakfast. I went to the town center to find somewhere to eat. As expected most of the shops were closed except for Hungry Jack’s and Mc Donald's. I said to myself, "Burgers are better in Hungry Jacks". So I had “Angus Beef burger” as my first meal for 2010!

Gift for baby Jesus

We don’t have to buy the expensive gifts of the wise men. The most inexpensive gift but the most precious gift we could give to God is a pure and contrite heart. The Feast of Epiphany reminds us that as Christians we are called to like baby Jesus, a small but an effective agent of love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds.

Maybe what we can offer to baby Jesus is the gift of peace and reconciliation. Maybe we missed out forgiving someone last Christmas, it’s never too late. Maybe we missed out saying sorry to someone last Christmas, it’s never too late.

The Feast of Epiphany invites us to be a more welcoming people, humble and peace-loving citizen. It’s a good and wonderful way to start the Year - it really makes us feel like a newborn baby… fresh, cuddly and beautiful.

Prayer

Christ, Help us now to come to you,

We want to walk in your light and rest in your warmth.

Please keep us on the right road,

heading toward your radiance,

bringing our treasures, our assets,

our gold, frankincense and myrrh, of our hearts.

Christ, be born again and again in us.

Be the gift we bear, the treasure in our hearts.

Amen.