Do Whatever He tells You!

(Homily for the 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     At the heart of God’s relationship with his people is a covenant. God in his unfathomable kindness enters into a relationship of love with his people. In the Old Testament Yahweh established a covenant with the chosen people, the Israelites. We cannot but remember God’s words to Moses, “I shall take you as my people and I shall be your God. And you will know that I am Yahweh your God, who have freed you from the forced labour of the Egyptians” (Ex. 6:7). Indeed, the history of man’s salvation is a history of a covenant of Love. In the New Testament, in and through Jesus Christ a New covenant is established between God and his people, and this Covenant was enacted with the blood of Jesus, in fact the synoptic Gospels captured it vividly well thus: “This is the blood of the covenant which will be shed…” (Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20). Drawing the issue further, as envisaged in the first reading, this covenant between God and his people is sometimes presented with the nuptial imagery, however, in the Gospel passage Jesus deepened the significance of this covenant of love in the context of a Wedding feast, through the imagery of water and wine. As such, one of the connecting factors of the first reading and the Gospel is the nuptial theme, but the nuptial theme is not central in the Gospel passage, it is only considered from the point of view of the setting or the context in which the miracle (the central theme) took place. However, in the first reading we see the interpretative key to the miraculous event of the Gospel. What Isaiah prophesied about came realized in Jesus. For Jesus is the Marriage of heaven and earth, a marriage between divinity and humanity. Furthermore, this marriage is equally linked to the Eucharist, because the changing of water into wine auspicates the Eucharist, therein we see a progression in Jesus’ miracle, from changing water to wine, he will later change wine to his Blood. No doubt, the Eucharist in a certain sense, could be considered as the marriage of Christ and his Church, and this will make the nuptial theme of the first reading overlap into the theme of the Gospel periscope. Jesus indeed is the marriage of heaven and earth.

     The first reading (Is. 62:1-5) comes from the part of Trito-Isaiah which consists of songs that celebrate the return of the Israelites from exile. Isaiah presents the situation of the Israelites with the promise of a divine intervention. The overriding theme of this song is the restoration of the city of Jerusalem. As a result, God rejoices over the city, and the prophet uses the image of a bridegroom that rejoices over his bride to describe this. “No more will you be known as ‘Forsaken’ or your country be known as ‘Desolation’; instead, you will be called ‘My Delight is in her’ and your country ‘The Wedded’; for Yahweh will take delight in you and your country will have its wedding. Like a young man marrying a virgin, your rebuilder will wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you” (vv.4-5). This is God speaking to his people, the Creator of the universe, the Rebuilder, wants to enter into an intimate and life-giving relationship with his creatures, even with our human imperfections, flaws and frailties. Jerusalem is compared to a Spouse that is “forsaken”, because she is unfaithful to her spouse (the Lord). Despite all odds God continues to show love to her (humanity).

     Owing to its content, this reading is appropriate for any festival season, and as such, the choice of this reading could have been the intention to match the first reading with the Gospel, the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee. For the prophet used nuptial imagery to delineate the relationship between God and Israel. In all, the prophet makes three considerations about the restoration of Jerusalem: ●She will be a crown and a diadem in the hand of the Yahweh. ●The city will be given a new name, “My delight in her”. ●The nuptial imagery, “Yahweh will rejoice over Jerusalem as a bride”. Christ realizes fully this prophecy: He is the real Bridegroom; in him God established a more profound union with humanity and his love for humanity assumed a supreme expression. The nuptial theme in the prophecy of Isaiah to a certain extent situates us well into the context of the episode of Cana, as narrated by St. John in the Gospel. Christ realizes fully this prophecy of Isaiah.

      In the passage of today’s Gospel (Jn. 2:1-12) what prophet Isaiah longed for happened, the Bridegroom came and laid out a great banquet of finest wine (cf. Is. 25:6). Here, we see the realization of what Isaiah envisaged in the first reading, and this helps us in no small way to understand while the first miracle of Jesus took place in the context of a Wedding. Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride. This first sign of Jesus is a thought provoking one especially in our world today, providing more wine, more alcohol appears mundane, but the significance of this sign surpasses this simplistic interpretation. St. John narrated only seven miracles of Jesus in his Gospel, and he called them “signs” because he considered them as a means of the revelation of the glory of Christ. This passage serves as the continuation of the glorious manifestation of Jesus, “He manifested his glory and the disciples believed in Him” (Jn. 2:11); and then the featuring of Mary as the Advocate of all men at all times. John’s account of the episode of the wedding at Cana is replete with wonderful messages that leave us in an admiration of this sublime gesture of Jesus to the couple, who were about to find themselves in an embarrassing situation, of running out of wine on their wedding day. However, the most striking part of all is the first miracle of Jesus: changing water into wine. This is an extraordinary event with which Jesus started his series of miracles. An interesting factor in the narrative was the report of our Evangelist John at the beginning of today’s Gospel, that Jesus was invited for the Wedding; he did not just go on His own. “Two days later, there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the Wedding” (Jn. 2:1-2). The invitation of Jesus to the Wedding feast occasioned the possibility of the miracle. The placement of Mary first in the context of the Wedding could presuppose that one of the couples was related to Mary or that Mary was there to witness this first outing of her Son after his Baptism. In all, whatever that necessitated her presence in that feast made her presence a providential one. Little wonder, she is adorned with the titles Mother of Divine providence, Mediatrix of all graces etc.

     As recounted by the St. John, at the prime of the feast, their “wine finished”. It must have been a great embarrassment for the wedding couple. In the bible, “wine” is the symbol of happy love between a man and a woman, between man and God. The lack of wine can symbolize, lack of joy, happiness in one’s life. The psalmist says that “wine gladdens the heart of man” (Ps. 103:15). It can also stand for when we are in a state of need (because something essential is lacking). As a matter of fact, in every Jewish feast the absence of wine is unimaginable. In the Old Testament, sometimes wine is the symbol of God’s blessing. For instance in the book of Hosea, when the Israelites abandoned God, God denied them of His blessing, “Since she has not known that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine and the oil…which they used for Baal. Therefore, I will take back my grain in its time and my wine in its season…” (Hos. 2:10-11). Here, God declared that he will deprive the people of wine, when they abandoned Him, but in the New Testament, in and with Jesus we see the new Wine (New and Superabundant Blessing). Now Jesus is the true Vine (cf. Jn. 15:1) that continues to gladden our heart.

     Be that as it may, the providential intervention of Mary, to spare the couple of public shame is really an act of graciousness. She is a woman that is attentive to whoever and whatever that is around her. She noticed what was going to happen; Mary turned to Jesus and said: “They have no wine” (Jn. 2:3). The striking point of the episode is Jesus’ response to Mary, “woman, why turn to me?” “My hour has not yet come” (Jn. 2:4). Interestingly, Mary’s response to Jesus was her invitation to the servants “do whatever He tells you” (Jn. 2:5). This reveals Mary’s special trust in the Word of God. She is our model and our advocate. She is still our intercessor especially when our own wine finishes. Our own wine could be symbolic of anything that gladdens our heart that gives meaning to our life (job, life partner, good health, breakthrough etc.). She indicated the way: “Whatever he asks you do it”. This invitation of Mary remains till today the pivot of the human reception of the Good News. She invited the servants to readiness and openness to the words of Jesus. She is equally inviting you today to listen to what the Word says, He continues to speak…

     Therein, Jesus called her “woman” which could be mistaken to be disrespect for his mother. But this is not the only time Jesus is addressing Mary with the appellative “woman”. In John 19:26, while Jesus was on the cross he said “woman behold your Son”, and to John, “behold your mother” (Jn. 19:27). Certainly, the miracle of Cana came about because “they did whatever he told them”. Mary reminds us that the Word of God is words and actions intimately related. His Word produces effects and transformation. Therefore, she invites us today to allow the Word we receive to model our life and our responses to every human situation we may encounter every day. It is by doing exactly as she advised that the empty jars were filled up again. If we hearken to her words, the empty jars of our life will be filled again. Not only at Cana, but Mary continues to intercede for us and plead on our behalf even today.   

     Upon consideration of the test and the language of the evangelist therein, it is evident that the passage is full of dense and profound meanings, and it is upon that backdrop we would like to make few observations: First, it is interesting that the first miracle of Jesus takes place in an occasion of a wedding feast. This human fact assumes an elevated symbolical significance, that is, it expresses the union of love between Christ and humanity, as the Son of God, and through the incarnation he has united himself for love, in the most profound way with humanity. Second, is about the response of Jesus to Mary, his mother: “what have I to do with you woman? My hour has not yet come” (v.4). The response of Jesus may sound as a disapproval and refusal of the request of the mother, but far be it. In fact, Mary immediately ordered the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (v.5). But for St. John, the ‘hour’ that Jesus was referring to was the ‘hour’ of his Cross, that is the hour when his glory will be manifested, the hour of his exaltation. Jesus told his mother that this hour has not come; however, he listened to the desires of the mother. All his life and existence were propended towards the ‘hour’, the hour of the Cross, where he would celebrate the real wedding of love and offer to the world the true and authentic messianic banquet: His Body and Blood for the salvation of all. Third, revolves around the fact that the miracle performed by Jesus does not consist only in the changing of water to wine, but also in the abundance and the quality of this wine, that is better than the one offered initially at the wedding feast. However, taking it to its Christological implication, his blood is the New Wine of the New Covenant! In the image of the nuptial banquet, we can see a prefiguration of the Eucharistic Banquet. At the Wedding feast water was changed to wine, here wine is changed into the blood of Christ. Above all, in the parlance of the evangelist, the reality of the miracle of changing water to wine has a further symbolic significance pointing toward the event of Jesus at Golgotha. By means of what He accomplishes on the Cross, the old order will give way to a new order. Indeed, there is more to the miraculous change of water to wine than we can imagine.

     In the second reading (1Cor. 12:4-11) St. Paul specifies the varieties of gifts from the Holy Spirit. In verses 4-6 we see a triadic structure: charismata: (in connection to the Spirit); diakonia: service (in connection to the Lord, Christ); energemata: workings, functions (in connection to God). The apostle maintained that the gifts are gifts of grace (charis) gratia gratis data and they are given for the benefit of the community, as such, it is not an endowment to be proud of. For “the particular manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the general good” (v. 7). Indeed, in a wider lens the gestures of Mary and Jesus in the Gospel passage could be seen as a concrete way of putting our gift(s) at the benefit of others. Mary intervened and interceded at the imminent lack of wine, with her gift of intercession, and Jesus as the Messiah used his gift of miracles to provide a new wine. How often do you use your gifts to uplift others?

     Above all, the message of the Gospel is indeed a striking reminder to all of us that when and if we bring what we have and give it to Jesus He will multiply it and perfect it. He turns what seemed to be embarrassment to a manifestation of God’s glory. Drawing the issue further, our problem today just as it has been from the beginning, is that we do not do what he says. This human unfaithfulness began with Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden: “God said, You must not eat it, nor touch it… Because you have done this…” (Gen. 3:3, 14). Contrarily, today Mary is inviting us to overcome this human tendency and then do what He tells us, remember: “Today, if you hear his voice harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:7-8; cf Heb. 3:15). Beloved friends in Christ as we admire the wonderful intervention of God in the first reading, the power of Mary’s advocacy and the wondrous gesture of Jesus in the Gospel passage, St. Paul invites us directly or indirectly to imbibe the value of imitation, therefore to make effort to use the gifts of grace and of nature God has lavished on us for the benefit of others. May Mary, the woman that sees with both the heart and the eyes continue to intercede for us! May she in her foresightedness alert Jesus of our needs!! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Through His Baptism, We Too Are God’s Beloved!

(Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord-Year C)

     We have celebrated the event of the birth of Jesus with enthusiasm and euphoria. The event of today: the solemnity of the Baptism of Jesus marks the end of the celebration of the anniversary of the historical birth of Jesus: the Christmas tide. The event of the baptism inaugurates the active life of Jesus and by implication the adoption of every Christian as sons and daughters of God. The solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord marks the first Sunday of the Church’s year. The child Jesus we celebrated in the manger in swaddling clothes, has grown and matured, he is now thirty years and this event marks a choice of a radical decision in his life. With the event of the Baptism, Jesus faces his destiny and mission, he begins the work in realization of the purpose of his incarnation. It was a moment of decision for Jesus, and Jesus courageously accepted Baptism for our sake. The Baptism of Jesus is a decisional stage in the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world as God, it could be considered as the second epiphany. After thirty years of silence and a hidden life, Jesus has become a man among others. He had to pass through a rite for sinners, of those who need purification, yet he was Pure and needed no purification. The action of the Holy Spirit is central in today’s liturgy, an action that was centred on Jesus of Nazareth.

     Today we celebrate an event of great importance in our Christian faith. Its importance can be seen not only from its theological import, but also from the fact of it been reported by the three synoptic and St. John as well. Be that as it may, we may well affirm that the Baptism of Jesus constitutes a fundamental theme in the preaching of the Apostles. No doubt, today’s celebration affords us the opportunity to reflect on why Jesus, though God had to go through the water of Baptism. The readings of today present three historical moments of God’s intervention in favour of the helpless sinful humanity: first, his intervention in the liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Babylon (first reading). Second, his intervention in the revelation of the divine sonship of Jesus (Gospel). Third, his manifestation to men and women of the new situation created in those who have received Baptism (second reading).

     In the first reading (Is. 40:1-5.9-11) the prophet uses a new language to describe the novelty of God’s action, who comes to liberate his people: “her period of slavery has ended…let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be leveled, every cliff become a plateau…Here is the Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arms maintains his authority” (vv. 2.4.10).

     The Gospel (Lk. 3:15-16.21-22) is a highlight of the core of our celebration today, the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Christ had to be baptized in order to make a way for us, in order to purify the water of Baptism in which we ourselves were to be bathed. This is because, as the first among his brothers (Rom 8: 29), he always takes the lead in order to show us the way. As narrated by St. Luke, the event of the Baptism of Jesus was hurried over with a genitive absolute: “when Jesus…had been baptized and was praying” (v. 21b), thereby suppressing the role of John the Baptist in the Baptism of Christ. This shows that the intention of St. Luke was to lay emphasis on the divine initiative: the descent of the Spirit and the heavenly voice in the Baptism event, and not on the Baptist’s role.

     Then, we may well ask: why did Jesus accept baptism? Jesus accepted Baptism for our sake, not because of any sin he has committed, but instead our own Baptism is because of sins. Jesus as the Son of God was sinless and so needed no Baptism. According to the CCC 1213, Baptism is a sacrament which cleanses us from original sin, makes us children of God, members of the Church and sharers in her mission. Going back to the question, first, Jesus accepted Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, not his own sins, but our own sins. Through his incarnation Jesus made himself similar to us, and by accepting Baptism, he wants to make us similar to Himself, and St. Paul captured it vividly well when he affirms thus: “every one of you that has been baptised has been clothed in Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Second, Christ had to be baptized in order to make a way for us, in order to purify the water of baptism in which we ourselves were to be bathed. By accepting to be baptized, Christ purified the water in which we are baptized. Others enter to be purified by the water, He enters to purify the water for us.  Third, Christ identified Himself with the people in their search for God. In other words, Jesus allows Himself to be baptized too because He wants us to feel that He is one with us in our longing and desire for God. His Baptism reveals his solidarity with the sinful humanity. The solidarity he extended even through His Eucharistic presence. The same Jesus that went to John in humility for Baptism is the same Jesus who is mysteriously hidden in the signs of Bread and Wine. In every Eucharistic celebration we welcome Him with the same words that John the Baptist used to welcome Him: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold He who takes the sins of the world” (Jn. 1:29).

     In the event of Jesus’ Baptism the Spirit manifested himself in form of a dove that descended on Jesus, bringing blessings and the irruption of power for the fulfilment of his mission. The dove that hovers above him testifies that he can make this sacrifice of himself precisely because he has the Spirit. A voice came from heaven, this entails that now heaven is here, because God is here. "You are my Son" (Lk 3:22; Cf Ps 2:7). He is the Face of the Father. Here sonship and fatherhood meet in a single reality. Indeed, at the heart of the Baptism event is Jesus’ experience of God’s fatherhood and the approval of his sonship. A voice was heard from heaven: “This is my Beloved Son...” Again, the Holy Spirit came upon him (cf. Mk. 1:10; Mt. 3:16; Lk. 3:22). The coming of the Spirit of God serves as a sort of equipment and empowerment for a crucial task. For instance, we remember Othniel (cf. Jdg. 3:10), Gideon (cf. Jdg. 6:34), Jephthah (cf. Jdg. 11:29), Samson (cf. Jdg. 13:25), Saul (cf. 1Sam. 10:10) and the servant of God (cf. Is. 42:1). Interestingly, in the case of the men we mentioned above, the coming of the Spirit was temporarily for a particular task, but for Jesus it was an empowerment and a mandate for life.

      The culminating point of the account of the Baptism of Jesus is not just about Baptism in se, for the evangelist just mentioned it in the passing, rather it is more of the fact of the mysterious voice that came from heaven proclaiming: “You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you” (v.22). It is a divine revelation that proclaims Jesus Christ as the Begotten Son of the Father, chosen for a particular mission or better for a unique mission, and with the characteristics of the Messiah, “I will proclaim the decree of Yahweh: He said to me, ‘You are my Son, today have I father you”’ (Ps. 2:7). This divine proclamation will assume full significance when his Baptism is accomplished, in the immersion in death. As St. John affirmed: “He it is who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water alone but with water and blood, and it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is Truth” (1Jn. 5:6), and in his Gospel he (John) will make reference to John the Baptist thus: “I saw the Spirit come down on Him like a dove from heaven and rest on him” and again “I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God” (Jn. 1:32.34). The Baptism of Jesus therefore revealed his identity and mission.

     An important happening in the episode of the Baptism of Jesus is also the descent of the Holy Spirit: “the Holy Spirit descended on Him”, and St. Luke reported with those words, because he intends to communicate to us that Jesus is the Consecrated Messiah, Prophet and Messenger of the Good News by the Holy Spirit. All through the period of his existence, Jesus preached, performed miracles, healed, pardoned, died and resurrected by the work of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in Him. All his life was under the action of the Holy Spirit. In fact, he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we cannot forget the outstanding passage, where one day, while reading in the Synagogue, Jesus himself proclaimed: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted…” and he concluded thus: “This text is fulfilled today even while you are listening” (Lk. 4:18-22).

     Jesus is therefore consecrated and guided by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a mission, desired by the Father, of liberation from the powers of evil, and of moral and spiritual elevation of man, as prophet Isaiah envisaged through the liberation of the chosen people from exile. Little wonder, Jesus joins the line like others, in order to be baptized by John the Baptist. This gesture of Jesus expresses his solidarity with humanity. He did not dissociate himself from the sinful humanity, nor from the sins, rather he assumed all on Himself.

     In the context of today’s Gospel one may well underscore that St. Luke did not merely narrate the Baptism of Jesus at Jordan, only to reveal his true filial identity and the nature of his mission. More so, Luke’s account therein serves as a point of departure for Baptismal catechesis to the Christian community. As such, in the Baptism of Jesus, we can discover our own Baptism. As St. Luke reported, John the Baptist announced clearly “I baptize you with water; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (v. 16). Through the Holy Spirit we are consecrated in view of the missions we are called to accomplish, which is similar to the mission of Christ: to bring good news of salvation to every man. We are called to accomplish this mission in the style and manner of Christ, that is through solidarity with men and women of our time, bringing hope and succour to those in need, with the awareness that this mission at times includes inevitably the experience of the Cross.

     As a matter of fact, in Baptism as St. Paul underlined in the second reading (Tt. 2:11-14; 3:4-7), “it was not because of any upright actions we had done ourselves, it was for no reason except his own faithful love that he saved us by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Tt. 3:5-6). St. Paul again affirmed that by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are “regenerated” and “renewed”, made sons and daughters of God, and we participate in his divine life (cf. Tt. 3:5). The passage of the second reading delineates the new reality of the baptized as a birth of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.

    The Baptism also inaugurated a new phase in the life of Jesus. He was presented officially to the world by the Father, as the Messiah who speaks and acts authoritatively in His name. This marks the beginning of the public life of Jesus. From this moment Jesus will begin the pronouncement of his so called “You have heard how it was said..., but I say this to you” (Mt. 5) and the manifestation of his authority when he speaks, which surprised the scribes and the pharisees. In fact, in ancient times this marked the beginning of the narration of the life of Jesus. As a matter of fact, St. Mark the first evangelist, in his Gospel started with the Baptism of Jesus. Indeed, the Baptism of Jesus is very important because it is linked to the manifestation of the Spirit and the inauguration of a new era. John the Baptist spoke about the two era in this way: i baptize you with water, he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The descent of the Holy Spirit launches the beginning of redemption. It indicates that new creation has began, because the Spirit has reappeared on the water like at the beginning (cf. Gen 1:2). The Holy Spirit was already in Jesus of Nazareth before his birth. For the Holy Spirit descended on Mary, before the one at Jordan. But there it happened in silence and it was less-known. Here instead there is manifestation to the world of the reality of the Spirit. The prophetic and messianic unction of Jesus was made known to the world. At his Baptism Jesus appears as the long-awaited on whom the Spirit of the Lord descended, as it was written by prophet Isaiah.

     Indeed, the celebration of today has drawn my attention to an age long Catholic tradition of Infant Baptism. After many centuries, the Church still upholds the tradition of the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism to infants. Even though, there are some who criticize this praxis, but the Church retains it necessary to continue this tradition, because administering Baptism to infants constitutes a particular sign of the prevenient love of God; who saves us, “not because of any upright actions we had done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own faithful love” (Tt. 3:5), as St. Paul opined in the second reading. Again, because Baptism elevates a creature to the supernatural order, it effuses grace, virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As such, it will not be just to deny an infant all this grace that God in his love offers us. However, let us not forget two important considerations: First, Baptism is administered to infants in the faith of their parents. Second, though it is true that Baptism administered to infants is an immense gift offered to unconscious beings, however, it behoves us to reaffirm that Baptism is a reality to be rediscovered and deepened progressively all through one’s existence. The Baptism received as infants in the faith of the parents, has to be lived and realized fully as adults. Authentic and matured Christians cannot remain at the infantile stage of faith, they have to be able to know how to develop all the supernatural potentialities that Baptism bestow. Indeed, at the heart of Baptism are the four programmatic words: Rebirth, Initiation, Consecration and Empowerment.

     Above all else, however, the occasion of Jesus’ Baptism reminds us that a baptized Christian can be seen as a person in whom the Trinitarian God is manifested, for he or she is called to maintain a personal relationship with the three Divine Persons. As a child of the Father, he/she lives a true filial relationship, especially in prayer and adoration. As a redeemed by the Son, he/she maintains basically a relationship of sequela and imitation, always aware that it is through Baptism we share in the Salvific effects of his Cross. And as a temple of the Holy Spirit, he/she lives with the awareness of a sacred, sanctifying and vivifying relationship that renews and purifies his/her life every day. It is equally an avenue to reflect over our lives as Christians and possibly ask ourselves what the effects of the Holy Spirit are in our lives since after our Baptism? Indeed, to say it with St. Paul “what you have received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father” (Rm. 8:15), and again “The Spirit himself joins our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God” (Rm. 8:16). Are you conscious of this dignity and filial identity? By means of Baptism a Christian becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, a place in which He lives and a place from which He wants to render Himself present to man. As such, a Christian by virtue of his Baptism is like a movable Monstrance of the Spirit. Are we conscious and aware of this truth of faith? Doubtlessly, Baptism did two things in the life of Jesus, so it does in our lives too. First, through Baptism we are given a mission like Jesus, we are commissioned with a mandate. Second, we are called to make the Son of God manifest in the world and also we are sent by the power of the Holy Spirit. By virtue of our Baptism we ought to become the Beloved of the Father. Are you truly God’s beloved in words and works? Are you keeping to the promises you made or that were made on your behalf on the day of your Baptism or you are paying allegiance to the Devil? Let us therefore, thank the Lord who through our Baptism has adopted us as sons and daughters in the Son, let us pray to God to give us the grace to be always conscious of our Baptismal responsibilities as adults in faith. May the Baptism of Jesus we celebrate today revitalize the consciousness for our own Baptism and recharge us with vigour to carry out our mission as children of God and members of the Church. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

Epiphany: God Enters Into History!

 (Homily for Epiphany Sunday)

          The feast of Epiphany, is a feast of God’s manifestation to man. Epiphany is from the Greek word epiphaneia which means appearance or manifestation, in this case, the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the whole world. For through the visit of the wise men, the universal salvific will of the Father is made manifest. Thus, Epiphany is the feast that celebrates the universality of salvation. The feast originated from the Eastern Church; there it was merely a celebration of the Lord’s Baptism. The Baptism of the Lord was interpreted as the first of his epiphanies or manifestation. Historically, when this feast spread to the West, it began to be celebrated mainly as a commemoration of the visit of the Magi. However, in the Catholic tradition it is identified as the feast of the three Kings. More than that, Epiphany celebrates mainly the self- revelation or manifestation of God to the Gentiles (to non-Jews: the Magi), and this is portrayed by the visit of the three wise men in the Gospel, with the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Indeed, at the heart of the Epiphany event, at the threshold of the quest of the Magi are three S’s: see, search and submit. These three verbs were programmatic in the search and encounter of the Magi with the New Born King. They embarked on the journey because they wanted to see Him, and for this desire to see Him, they went in search of and for Him, and when the sought and saw Him, they submitted themselves to Him in adoration. These three action words should characterize as well our own journey of faith.

           The readings of today converge on the theme of the Christian universalism, thus, the universality of God’s salvation. In Mathew’s Gospel, this universalism is represented by the visit of the magi (the pagan world), who came from the East to adore the New Born Baby (Gospel). In their gesture we see the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “At his light all peoples will walk” (first reading). On his part, St. Paul (Second reading) was enabled to receive the mystery of God: “That the gentiles now have the same inheritance and form the same Body and enjoy the same promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6).

          The first reading (Is. 60:1-6) could be divided into two, while verses 1-3 dwell on the fulfillment of (Is. 40), at the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, verses 4-6 are about the prediction of the eschatological pilgrimage of the gentiles to Jerusalem after the reconstruction of the city. Besides, verses 1-3 are symbolic of Christ’s event, and as such the message therein supersedes the return of the exiles from Babylon, the Christ event is the salvific event. This idea is further explicated with the imageries of “light” and “glory”. On the other hand, verses 4-6 presents the response of the gentiles to that revelation, fulfilled through the coming of Christ. The journey and visit of the Magi is symbolic of this response. More still, verse 6 with its reference to “gold” and “frankincense” influenced in no small way the story of the Magi in (Mt. 2:1-12).

          The second reading (Eph. 3:2-3a.5-6) from the Pauline epistle combines the two basic themes of the first reading and the Gospel: God’s revelation (epiphany) and the participation of the gentiles to the Messianic Salvation, thus the universality of Salvation. St. Paul calls it a mystery, “This mystery, as it is now revealed in the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets, was unknown to humanity in previous generations” (v.5). Such mystery consists in the call of the gentiles to participate in the same inheritance and form the same body and to be part of the same promise through the Gospel. God is the unity and the inheritance of all peoples, He reveals Himself to all peoples, Jews and Pagans alike. For this, he affirmed “in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised and uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything” (Col. 3:11). St. Paul undoubtedly spoke about “a mystery”, something inaccessible to the thought and the intellect of man; something that only God, in his love and grace can reveal to man. Prophet Isaiah had an intuition of this mystery, when he saw all peoples walking towards Jerusalem in order to render cult to Yahweh, the Lord of the nations.

          In the Gospel reading (Mt. 2:1-12) Mathew presents the episode of the journey and visit of the Magi to the Child Jesus. Mathew regrettably reports that his people did not know when salvation was at hand, but foreigners, the Magi did. The pagans recognized the presence of the Messiah while the Jews did not. It is only in Mathew’s account that we find the story of the three wise men or kings, who came “from the east” to worship the King of the Jews. This account on the Magi’s story gave rise to plausible facts concerning this Divine Child: ►First is the tracing of Jesus’ Davidic descent, which according to the Jews is a qualification for the “messiahship”, “This is the gospel concerning his Son who, in terms of human nature was born a descendant of David” (Rm. 1:3-4a). The importance attached to the infancy narrative of Mathew and Luke throws more light to this. ►Second is the dating of Jesus’ birth (e.g. Mathew and Luke) towards the end of Herod the Great’s reign (4.B.C), this too is historically plausible. ►Third, the use of the star as a messianic symbol in the Scriptures, “I see him – but not in the present. I perceive him – but not close at hand: a star is emerging from Jacob, a scepter is rising from Israel” (Num. 24:17). In turn we are also called to become stars that lead others to Jesus. How often do we indicate Jesus to others or enlighten others as a result of our encounter with Him?

          Today’s Gospel in no small way revolves around the adoration of the New Born King by the three wise men, the Magi. In Mathew’s account they observed and followed the star (v.2), which reveals that they had knowledge of astrology. Again, we are told that they came from the east, this implies that they came from Mesopotamia, which according to the Hellenist world is known to be home for astrologists. However, it is worthy to note that this Gospel is not just about the Magi, rather the One who has been born, the King of the Jews. Jesus was born at the fullness of time or better when the time was fulfilled (cf. Gal. 4:4). At that point in time people were longing for the Messiah, despite this longing, which for some was real, and for others was apparent, in today’s Gospel we see different categories of people and their reactions about his birth and presence:

■Herod, the king was blocked by seeing Jesus because of his suspicion. The birth of Jesus meant insecurity for him. Little wonder, he killed whoever he suspected to be a rival. Thus, his reaction towards Jesus was that of hostility.

■The Chief priests and the scribes, this group reacted differently. They were indifferent to the presence of Jesus, they didn’t care. They were busy with their affairs in the temple and legal dealings. Probably, they were afraid of King Herod, little wonder, they handed him the information and remained unmoved. They did not even dare to lead the Magi. They remained unmoved in Jerusalem, but Jesus was found in the poverty of Bethlehem.

■The Magi, were learned people, but their knowledge did not get over their head. As such, their reaction was that of openness and acceptance. The magi represent the whole human race, people of every language and colour who set out to adore Jesus. And in this event, the prophecy that will adore and bring Him gifts is fulfilled (Ps. 72:10). To find Jesus we need to search for Him with faith, to find Him we need to pass through Jerusalem as the Magi did, here Jerusalem stands to symbolize the Church. In that sense, the journey of the Magi is a symbol of an itinerary of faith. When they found Jesus, they adored him and offered him gifts: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

           Be that as it may, the Magi did not present mere gifts to the King; rather the three gifts they offered to Him were replete and beaming with significance: Gold: symbolizes a gift for Kings, denoting his Kingship. It was indeed a sign of their sincere and total love. Frankincense: the ancient people used it for religious worship, and it points to gods and divinity. It is therefore a symbol of the divinity of Christ. The Magi used it to adore Him. Myrrh: in the ancient world myrrh was used to prepare dead bodies. On the Cross Jesus was offered wine mingled with myrrh (cf. Mk. 15:23). And his body was anointed with myrrh for burial (cf. Jn.19:39). For instance, we remember the women that came with myrrh to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body (cf. Mk. 16:1). This depicts the vulnerability of the human nature that Jesus assumed. This gift is therefore symbolic of Jesus’ humanity

          The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in the episode of the arrival of the Magi to Jerusalem, and in turn we could equally say that the Gospel is the fulfillment of his prophecy that “at his light all peoples will walk”, and the Magi did follow the star. Therefore, with the fulfillment of this prophecy, God’s revelation brings to their realization various novelties of great importance: ●That the center of the nations is not a city (Jerusalem) but a person: Jesus, the Messiah and Lord, born in Bethlehem. ●The journey towards this center will not be only for the Jews, but for all, Jews and pagans alike. ●The people will not converge to Jerusalem to render cult to Yahweh in the temple, but in Bethlehem to adore a Baby in the arms of his Mother Mary.

          The passage of the Gospel gives us a wonderful indication on how to locate Christ, the Savior, and that is as the magi have demonstrated, through openness and disposition of heart, with the sincere desire of having the knowledge of the truth without prejudice. Similarly, there are as well obstacles that may hinder us from locating and encountering Christ, the Savior. First, is fear, fear of encountering one who overhauls our life. For if you encounter Christ you have to change your orientation and criterion of judgment.  Second, is servility to the powers that be, as it happened to the religious leaders in the time of Jesus, who were slaves to the political power of Herod. The powers that be today could be ideologies, dominant current of thoughts contrary to the Gospel. Third, is ambition for power, as it happened with Herod, and attachment to the things of this world. We need to liberate ourselves from the things of this world and personal prestige, allow ourselves to be guided and led by the light that comes from above (as the Magi allowed themselves to be led by the star).

         In all, the red thread that runs through the readings of today is the revelation of God in Christ and the universality of God’s Salvation. The Epiphany inaugurates a new direction, a new route. They went home through a new road because they were enlightened by God, and that new way is Jesus. Jesus in the event of the Epiphany gives us a new way and a new direction. He offers himself as the Savior of all, without exception. What have we to offer Him in return? The magi presented Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The journey of the Magi might be taken as an expression of man’s religious quest, and as such man as capax Dei, to say it with St. Augustine. The question that should stem from our hearts is whether we still have this religious zeal and quest today? Do we still have the quest for God? What is our own reaction to this New Born King, is it that of hostility, indifference, or concern and love? That of the Magi was love and adoration, even me today I have come to adore him. What of you? Let us join the Magi in this marvelous and admirable Adoration of the New Born King! Come let us adore the leading-Star!! Come let us adore the Light that enlightens all men and makes them one!!! Let us pray asking God to enable us to seek Him with a sincere heart like the Magi, no matter the distance and what it may cost. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)