Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
January 4, 2015 – Year B
Readings: Is 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12
by Rev. Salvador Añonuevo, Pastor

A few weeks ago on a dark, rainy morning like today, I was called by one of our parishioners who wished to receive the sacrament of holy anointing. Since the address was in Bedford, I didn’t bother to ask for detailed directions. I figured that since she didn’t live that far away, even my 8-year-old GPS could find her place. That’s what I thought.

But after about 30 minutes of driving, I found myself on a narrow, hilly dirt road with a cliff on both sides. Since I don’t have tires designed for muddy roads, this really made my driving interesting. So my prayers changed from saying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet to saying the Act of Contrition. If the Church allowed it, I would have given myself the Last Rites. But suddenly I heard a beautiful voice from my GPS: “You have arrived” – in a spot where there was no house and not even a place to turn around.

So I had to drive a while before I found a safe place to turn around, and prayed I could find a person who actually lives there and knows the area, to give me directions. Fortunately, by Divine Providence, I found someone, got directions, and eventually found our parishioner. It was such a beautiful place. I never knew such a place existed in Bedford County.

The guidance of having a person who knows the place is infinitely better than any GPS on the market.

The magi were blessed to have God, the creator of heaven and earth, as their guide. He knows exactly every spot in this world because he created it. He didn’t only send a messenger to the magi, he himself gave them the star so they could have the privilege of fulfilling their longing, their desire, to see the newborn king – the Christ, the light of the world.

In the beginning of the Mass, we sang, “Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, guide us to the perfect light.” Most of the lyrics of this song are taken from chapter 2 of the Gospel of Matthew. We are all here in the sanctuary of Holy Name of Mary because just like the three kings, sometime in the past, somebody served as a star to guide us to Jesus, so we might be able to know him better and eventually have faith in him. Our star might be someone or even something.

In today’s day and age, God doesn’t give us just one star, but several stars, that lead to our Lord. Just like in our iPhone: there is an app for that. There are many apps that can lead us and help us know our Lord more closely.

Just like the magi, one of our brightest stars is our own longing, our desire, to be in the presence of our Lord.

Just like the three wise men, we may also experience difficulties or roadblocks. We might even feel like giving up on our faith journey. This is part of what we call spiritual warfare. But if we always have the desire to be in the presence of our Lord, and continue to have faith in him, we can rest assured that we are following the right star.

We are so blessed because the star that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us is as big as the moon: our Holy Mother Church, who will always be our guide in the midst of the confusion of this world. That’s why the Church gives us today’s opening Prayer: “O God, you revealed your Son to the nations by the guidance of a star. Grant that we, who already know you by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your supreme glory.”