THE STAR OF THE POOR

EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Is.60:1-6; Ps.72; Eph.3:2-3a,5-6; Mt.2:1-12

It’s only less than three weeks before Pope Francis will visit for the first time the Pearl of the Orient Seas, the Philippines. However, since it was first announced, preparations have been made in order to better dispose the people during his visit. Different activities were done in order to make known the life and ministry of the Holy Father. Recollections and lectures were all geared towards the coming of the Pope.  In order to really reach out to the masses, Pope standees were displayed in churches and other public spaces. All these were done in order to “reveal” to everyone the man behind the name, Pope Francis.

Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this feast, Jesus is made known this time to all peoples. The glory of Jesus is revealed to people outside Israel. The visit of the shepherds marked the revelation of Jesus to Israel. In today’s Gospel, in the visit of the magi, Jesus is revealed to the whole world. In Jesus’ birth in the manger, we came to know of his humanity. In the magi’s adoration before the child inside the house, we came to know of his divinity.

We heard in our Gospel, that it was through the guidance of a star that the wise men from the East were able to locate the “newborn king of the Jews.” “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.”

In our lives, we are also like the magi – we search for Jesus. No matter how many times we deny Him, in the end, there is still that desire to look for Him, who gives us life in abundance. Of course, it is not the reading of the stars (horoscope) that leads us to Jesus. The star represents the people who have been sent by God in our lives in order to bring us closer to Jesus. Immediately, we think those who are easy to love and deal with. However, the Lord sometimes allows the unlovable and the difficult people to become “stars” in our lives. And if we seriously deal with these people, then time will come when we will be overjoyed because we have seen the Lord.

The Philippine Church has marked this year as the “Year of the Poor.” The poor forms the majority of Filipinos. We can see the poor anywhere along the streets, under bridges, and even making the dirty and dusty sidewalks as their place to spend the cold night. This is therefore our challenge today – that we too consider the poor as the “stars” who will lead us to Jesus. Jesus was born in a poor family. He remained a poor and died a poor man’s death on the cross. Thus, the face of Jesus remains imprinted on the poor. Let us then try to look and serve the poor because they can surely lead us to Jesus.

After the star brought the magi to Jesus, they went home to their country by another route. When the Pope comes to visit us, may we see him as a “star” who can lead us to Jesus so that we will return to ourselves refreshed and renewed. However, even after his visit, may we too consider the poor as the “star” who can bring us too Jesus so that we will also return home by another and better way. Amen!