A boy was asked who were the Three Kings. Without hesitation he answered: Chow King, Tapa King and Burger King. If you asked anyone from Marinduque, without hesitation, he would answer: Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar. You shouldn't be surprised because they have three small islands there named after the Three Kings.
EPIPHANY
The solemnity today, however, is not called the Solemnity of the Three Kings but the Solemnity of the Epiphany. What is being celebrated today is not the Three Kings but the manifestation of the King of Kings to the Three Kings. For manifestation or revelation is the meaning of the Greek word, epiphany.
JESUS IS SAVIOR OF ALL
This solemnity is important because it tells us that Jesus is the Savior of all. He is not just the Savior of the Jews. He is also the Savior of the Gentiles. He is not just the Savior of ignorant and poor people, like the shepherds. He is also the Savior of learned and well-to-do men, like the three Magi-Kings. Jesus is the Savior of all because all of us are sinners who can not save ourselves.
SEEKING JESUS
The three Magi-Kings left the comfort and security of their homes and country in search of Jesus. "Where is the new-born King of the Jews? We saw his start at its rising and have come to do him homage."
We too need to set out on a journey in search of Jesus in our lives. And we need to do so with the same urgency and desire as the magi-kings.
And as the song goes, we want to look for Jesus in order to see him more clearly, to love him more dearly and to follow him more nearly.
WHERE IS JESUS?
Where do we look for Jesus? Where did the Three Magi-Kings find Jesus? In a stable. Lying in a manger. If we look at the Belen (creche) we are struck first of all by the silence. We get an idea of the silence of that first Christmas night in the most popular Christmas carol is Silent Night, Holy Night.
Why is there silence? The clue is found by looking at all the characters. All of them are looking at Jesus with reverence. All of them give us the impression that they are all in prayer.
Where then do we find Jesus? In prayer.
EPIPHANY
The solemnity today, however, is not called the Solemnity of the Three Kings but the Solemnity of the Epiphany. What is being celebrated today is not the Three Kings but the manifestation of the King of Kings to the Three Kings. For manifestation or revelation is the meaning of the Greek word, epiphany.
JESUS IS SAVIOR OF ALL
This solemnity is important because it tells us that Jesus is the Savior of all. He is not just the Savior of the Jews. He is also the Savior of the Gentiles. He is not just the Savior of ignorant and poor people, like the shepherds. He is also the Savior of learned and well-to-do men, like the three Magi-Kings. Jesus is the Savior of all because all of us are sinners who can not save ourselves.
SEEKING JESUS
The three Magi-Kings left the comfort and security of their homes and country in search of Jesus. "Where is the new-born King of the Jews? We saw his start at its rising and have come to do him homage."
We too need to set out on a journey in search of Jesus in our lives. And we need to do so with the same urgency and desire as the magi-kings.
And as the song goes, we want to look for Jesus in order to see him more clearly, to love him more dearly and to follow him more nearly.
WHERE IS JESUS?
Where do we look for Jesus? Where did the Three Magi-Kings find Jesus? In a stable. Lying in a manger. If we look at the Belen (creche) we are struck first of all by the silence. We get an idea of the silence of that first Christmas night in the most popular Christmas carol is Silent Night, Holy Night.
Why is there silence? The clue is found by looking at all the characters. All of them are looking at Jesus with reverence. All of them give us the impression that they are all in prayer.
Where then do we find Jesus? In prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment