Be an epiphany of Christ

No matter how many lights we hung at Christmastime, there is that consciousness that darkness covers the earth. We do not speak of nature’s darkness but the darkness which makes our lives unhappy, bitter, evil, tragic. Earthquake in Iran with 20,000 dead; SARS coming back in China; the mad cow menace in Canada; the kidnap-slayings in the Philippines, the violence and terrorism all over the world. How do we take the inevitable which cause disaster in our lives; we are so helpless in the face of nature’s upheavals. How do we carry the sorrows that are a result of men’s crimes and the sins of men? Do we throw our hands in desperation and even question God’s goodness that he should allow all this?

There is a side to Christmas which teaches us stark lessons of life and love. Christ was born one dark midnight in Bethlehem, in piercing cold, in a lonely cave sheltering horses and cows. He was laid in a manger where these animals ate their grass and herbs and for warmth stuffed this make-shift crib with hay. Mother Mary had only swaddling clothes to wrap her Baby. Common scene to us who make our belens beautiful with lights. But the reality of that Christ-birth is far bitter than what we see in our Christmas cribs, the first suffering of the God-man so that all people may have the joy of the Good News described by St. John in His first Gospel as the "Light of the human race; the Light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:4).

This is the mystery of the birth of Christ, the mystery which gives all the meaning to every experience of man’s suffering. The Three Wise Men or Magi journeying to Bethlehem to find Christ they believed to be the new-born King give manifestation of this Light. Following the journey from the East and finding the Christ-child in that poor manger, they bowed down and on their knees adored.

This manifestation of faith is what we celebrate today. We are all called to manifest the same faith. We fail to understand the sufferings of the world today. It is not for us to question God but we are asked to accept the mystery of the sufferings in the world today and believe that in His wisdom God has his purpose. In the ensuing darkness which seems brought about by sufferings we cannot comprehend, we are all called to be the light of humanity. How?

To the victims of calamities we can be their comfort and help in their sorrows and be generous ministers to their needs. In the face of violence are terrorism, we can be saving factors by doing whatever we can to shield people from being exposed to this danger. To the poor who are in darkness in their hovels and squatter areas, we can be generous benefactors as we extend social amelioration. To those who sin, we can be angels of mercy by leading them to conversion and leading the way to the right direction.

"Rise up in splendor" (Is 60: 1). This invites us to let ourselves be enlightened by the Lord, the infinite which makes His glory shine over us. We are all called by God to become light in order to direct the way of peoples and nations over whom hang "darkness" and "thick clouds" (Is 60.2)

Feast of the Epiphany, Matthew 2:1-11.