My Sunday Homily

The gospel of the day can be termed as a project of life. These days we are busy in wishing each and every on success in life, with good health and happiness as ideal to enter into the New Year 2019. Let's look at the movements in today’s gospel and learn from it the best way to life our daily life, in a fruitful and healthy way. It is important that we discover for ourselves through these events the project that God is offering us today and t the whole year.

Salvation is universal and the message is clear that we remain open to the pleasant surprises in life, just like these three kings brought to Herod, the ruler of Jerusalem. By the fact that the announcement of the Incarnation is heard by these kings from different origins, by the same announcement God declares that Jesus came for me and for all of us. Though born in a different time, in a different country or culture, the finality of His arrival is universal.

 Everything begins in a small village where Marie lived. Through her visitation, Mary opened this annunciation to the people of Israel from a village to Jerusalem. She didn’t keep it for herself, rather carry it with her to her cousin Elizabeth, who was in-need of her help. The angels of the Lord announce the same message to the shepherds who were watching and protecting the sheep, let’s say from Jerusalem to the border, outside of the city. Today the star is leading all for different county, the whole creation brings all to this small village, Bethlehem. All these movements make us discover the great divine work, which is calling us all to climb to the heavenly Jerusalem.

We are a pilgrim church and are called to move from one place to the other, so that we may discover the divine mysteries and be happy and joyful throughout our life. If we refuse to be a pilgrim church, we may fail to be Christian. Jesus told Thomas that He is our way. He who was divine took in Him the divinity, thus moving from His divinity to our humanity. The feast of the day makes us visible this divine mystery. God reveals this mystery to the whole world and we are included in the list of recipients of this wonderful mystery that God desires to share with the humanity. He came down from heaven to the periphery of the earth to save us. He has taught us that this displacement is important for us, so that we may profit from this divine misplacement or displacement.  If we do not leave our places of safety, our neighbourhood, our street, our culture and our language, etc., it is difficult to meet this God who comes to us. Marie left her village to Elizabeth's house. Abraham left his country, and the shepherds left their places to meet this new-born. Today the three kings tell us that they followed the star that guided them to Bethlehem. All, Mary, John the Baptist, the Shepherds, and the Magi left their places and they are filled with joy and astonishment. If we believe that the salvation brought by the Lord is universal, and if we want to profit it, we must learn to leave towards the direction that the star will guide us. It may not be pleasing today, but if we remain faithful to this call, the end will be pleasant.

This displacement does not necessarily guaranty us the salvation. We must remain faithful and persevere in our march, till the end. As God, who is faithful to his promise, we must be faithful to his command of love. This path of love and forgiveness is not easy. For Jesus taking the cross was not that easy as we imagine and it will be the same for us. Even though these kings were  guided by the star, they were mistaken in their discernment and interpretation. We all make mistakes in our discernment. Like Mary Magdalene who took Jesus as a gardener or even as a thief, the apostles took Jesus as a ghost, it is normal, humanly we are deceived and we fail sometime radically. Do not be discouraged or desperate in such moments of life. Let's dare to get up and we'll see like the Magi, the star again, to start all over again.

Warned in a dream, they will begin to discover a new path, which will lead them each to their destination. A divine encounter transforms us and we can no longer be at the old, because in Jesus we are reborn again as a being, quite another. To resume the same path, to fall back into our old habits, to repeat the same story, are not worthy of this new birth in God. You have to start all over again, start again to rediscover this mystery as a little child. Let’s not advance in life without meeting the Lord. First, let's seek the LIGHT of the world. Let us adore Him and carry with in us this LIGHT which illumines in us and through us to the whole world. Let us be missionaries of this wonderful LIGHT which dissipates the darkness of ignorance.