The wise men in today’s gospel remind me of the first time I used a GPS device to go to Chicago. I was amazed to see how that little device led me to my destination. On my way, when I missed a turn, it showed me another route or tried to bring me in the right path. Helpful instrument, I got into my destination on time. I guess many of you use GPS for traveling. I am telling you this story because as Christians, we should be using GPS in order to lead people close God.
Today, we celebrate Epiphany of the Lord. This is the last Sunday of the Christmas season. Now, the word Epiphany comes from Greek which means revelation or manifestation. According to the tradition, Epiphany is the manifestation of the Christ child to the world. The feast is based on the visit of the Magi.
We celebrate the day the magi came to visit the baby Jesus. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, the magi came from East to Jerusalem. They followed the star which led them to Bethlehem. There they found the Christ child, they did Him homage and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. This is what we are celebrating today. But notice that the first group who came to visit baby Jesus, was the shepherds. And we don’t have a special day to celebrate that visit. But we have a day to celebrate the visit of the magi. Why? Why does Matthew tell the story in the way he does? What is Matthew trying to tell us here? What is the message? What is the point?
Matthew tells this story because he wants to give a great message to the people of Israel and to us. To the people of Israel, he wants to remind them that Jesus came not just for them but for all peoples. He came to save all peoples. Salvation is for all the peoples, even pagans. God is God for all the nations in the world. This story of the magi who came from the east was a shock for the people of the Israel. Because the magi came from far away…..They came outside of Israel. They were not God’s chosen people, they were pagans but they worshiped the baby Jesus. Meanwhile, the people of Israel knew that they were God’s chosen People. They considered themselves the righteous people for being God’s chosen People. They forgot that in choosing them, God did not exclude other nations.
God is God for all the nations and salvation is universal. It is for all the peoples. Jesus’ mission was first to the lost sheep of Israel, it was not to be exclusively for them. Jesus would tell his Apostles: Go out into all the world and preach the good news. This was the message for the people of Israel. To us, Matthew wants to challenge everyone of us. Matthew invites us to make our church a place where all people are welcomed. We should transform our church in our Father’s house where all people feel at home. Because Salvation is Catholic. It is universal. If Salvation is Catholic, the church which Jesus founded to preach the good news of salvation must be Catholic as well.
So, if the Church is the Father’s House, then all the baptized should feel at home in their Father’s House. And treat one another as brother and sister. Today the presence of Hispanics, Asian and other ethnic groups that form our Diocese and community should show that all can and do find a home in the Catholic Church. Our diversity of languages, cultures, and races gives witness to the “catholicity” of the gospel message of salvation. We acknowledge one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.
