EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Sunday Homily, Matthew 2:1-12, January 7, 2024
1) STORY
One day John’s family asked me to go to the hospital to anoint him as
John was very sick. He was in Room 1 on
the first floor. Several weeks later
around 8PM, I received a call from the family asking me to visit John as he was
in a critical condition. I immediately
went to the hospital looking for John in Room 1 on the first floor. To my great surprise, he was not there. The nurse told me via an intercom to try the
tenth floor. I went to Room 1 on the
tenth floor to discover it was a baby’s ward. I was now lost with no phone and no family
contact number. Then my “star” appeared
in the form of a nurse. The nurse in the
baby’s ward was willing to help me. She
guessed he was in Block C and we were in Block A. She asked for permission to go through Block B
to get to Block C where I finally found John. Thanks to her kindness.
She was my “star” leading me to my goal.
2) GOSPEL: MATTHEW 2:1-12
A) THE MAGI: The Magi, wise men from the East, were looking for the newborn king of the Jews. They needed help to find the new king.
B) THE STAR: “They saw his star and wanted to do him homage.” The star led them to Bethlehem where they
found the new born king of the Jews, Jesus.
3) APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) MODERN MAGI: There are many people searching for happiness, peace, a purpose in life and how to live a meaningful life. Though they may not be aware of it, they are searching for God who alone can give them the desires of their heart.
B) MODERN STARS: People need help to find God just as the Magi needed
help to find Jesus, and I needed the help of a nurse to find John. God has sent us to be like stars leading
people to Jesus. We do this by our
kindness towards others, by our willingness to help them, and the example of
living a good life. We have the power
and responsibility to lead others to Jesus.
4) CONCLUSION
Just as I needed a star to help me find John and the Magi
needed the help of a star to find Jesus, so too, do those looking for peace,
joy and happiness need help in their search for these precious gifts. We are modern stars helping by leading them to
Jesus who alone can give them peace, joy, and happiness.
