Epiphany: Light of Christ

Last updated on: January 5, 2014 at 11:07 pm by Father Pablo Migone

Epiphany: Light of Christ 2014-01-05T23:07:00-05:00 Father Pablo Migone

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[Epiphany Homily]

The invention of the light bulb has spoiled our experience of light.

Even though electricity and light bulbs have allowed us to have light on demand, which is a great thing, they have also made us loose our appreciation for the piercing power of light.

Most of us modern human beings have forgotten what it’s like for the sun to go down and to be left in complete darkness, trusting the moon and the starts to provide light from above. As soon as the sun goes down today, lights all around us flicker on. Night and day have morphed, we are indifferent to them because at night all we have to do is turn on the light and continue on with our lives.

I remember a few years ago I was at Saint Mary on the Hill in Augusta and a thunderstorm knocked the lights out. The rectory was very dark, so I walked down the street to the perpetual adoration chapel. As I knelt in prayer, I looked up at the beautiful monstrance with Jesus present there. The monstrance was flanked by two candles. The flames pierced the darkness and filled the whole chapel with light. Nowhere else was there light. The adoration chapel was a beacon of light because Jesus was present. I was struck by the thought, “Jesus truly is the light of the world. As these flames pierce the darkness, so does Jesus pierce the whole world to redeem it with His light. He is the light of the world.

In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah describes what we celebrate in today’s feast of the Epiphany, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.”

The darkness which reigned over mankind has been pierced by the presence of Jesus Christ, born Christmas morning and today revealed to the whole world as the bearer of true light. Jesus Christ is the light which destroys the dark power of sin and death. He is a light that cannot be contained. Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote some years ago that “Jesus Christ is the explosion of God’s love, which causes the great white light of his heart shine upon the world.”

A star appeared over Jesus announcing to the world He was the light of the world. The wise men recognized the light and came seeking that light because they desired to be associated with the light.
They found it where they least expected it: in a cold cave by the tiny village of Bethlehem. They found the source of the light in a humble new born child, among the lowly.

Many people today continue to walk in darkness, and unlike the three wise men, run away from the light. They do not like it when the light of Christ begins to shine brightly in their lives.

Pope Benedict says that the saints have become constellations of Christ because they have made shine Christ’s light so brightly in their lives. The saints are the stars of God. We too are called to be saints, we too are called to make shine the light of Christ in the darkness of the world. How can we do this?

We shine brightly whenever we witness to the joy that comes from the forgiveness and redemption we receive from Christ. We shine brightly when we treat others with dignity, respect, and justice, recognizing the presence of God in fellow human beings. We shine brightly when we are faithful in prayer and faithful to keeping God’s commandments. It is up to us to make the light of Christ shine brightly in our homes and workplaces. The closer we remain to Christ, the more we seek Him, the better bearers of His light we will become.

The wise men offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to the child Jesus after their journey. Hopefully by living our lives by reflecting the light of Christ, we will be able to present a loving heart to Jesus when we meet Him at the end of our lives after our own journey.

I love the closing line of the Christmas song “In the Bleak Mid Winter” where a poor boy wonders what he could offer baby Jesus since he is poor. The boy hits the nail on the head:

“What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give him: give my heart.”

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