EPIPHANY SUNDAY: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: BE WISE, FOLLOW YOUR STAR

(Matthew 2:1-12)

Today is the solemnity of Epiphany of the Lord. We celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are represented by the Wise Men; three of them from the East, standing for the generality of the people Christ has come to save. We celebrate the inclusive love of God against the exclusive mentality of the Jews who thought salvation was only for them and of Herod who thought the kingdom is his. We celebrate the covenant-keeping God, God who remembered His promise to Abraham that He will make his sons as numerous as the stars of heaven. At the appointed time, by the aid of a star He led his people from far and wide and gathered them in faith.

We reflect on how best to follow the star that leads us to our quest and goal.

Steps to follow your star:

DISCOVERY: The star could represent anything that helps one to locate his destiny. The wise men saw it rising, followed it and got their satisfaction.

AVOID THE PALACE: The Palace and Herod are the things along the way that look attractive but are actually distractive. The Wise Men may have been presented with nice delicacies and gifts in the palace. These are distractions.

BE SPIRIT-GUIDED: The Angel spoke and the Wise Men obeyed. Yes they entered into conversation with the evil one but they realised themselves and came back to their senses.

YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER: To get to your goal, to experience the manifestation of the Lord in your life, your academics, your marriage, your business etc. You've got to sacrifice your laziness, sleep, give in your best and use well your precious time.

TREASURE THE GIFTS YOU'VE GOT

In your gifts lie the manifestation of your mission. In the gifts presented to Jesus we saw a manifestation of His mission. In the Gold His Kingship came to light; In the frankincense His Priesthood shone while in the myrrh his Suffering, DEATH and RESURRECTION was shown.

We pray as we celebrate this great solemnity that God may arise in our lives and manifest His power. May Your opportunities and potentials to attain greatness be numerous like the stars.

May Your star never go out of your sight. May the darkness and powers that have made your star not to shine be destroyed.

May no Herod stop you from seeing the greatness, glory and divinity of God in your life through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Epiphany, Christmas & New Year.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 2^nd Sunday after Christmas: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Jesus: The Creating and Re-Creating Word of God

Readings: Sirach 24: 1-2,8-12; Eph 1:3-6,15-18; John 1:1-18

Dearest brothers and sisters, the Church invites us today to ponder the Word of God who has taken flesh and dwells among us—the Divine Logos who has come to live in our midst.

In describing this Divine Logos, St. John leads our minds back to the origin of all things. The first chapter of his Gospel mirrors the opening of Genesis. In Genesis, God created the universe through His Word. In John, we see God recreating the world through that same Word made flesh.

At creation, it was through the Word that God conquered the primordial darkness, bringing light into the world and forming all things out of the formless void. When sin disfigured God’s beautiful creation and plunged humanity into darkness, God once again came to our rescue through His Word, who took flesh in the Blessed Virgin Mary and dwelt among us. His birth restored light to a world overshadowed by sin and death. Today’s Gospel reminds us that in Him is life, and this life is the light of all people—a light the darkness cannot overcome. This is the mystery of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas.

Dear friends, we are blessed to share in this divine manifestation, for from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. He chose us before the foundation of the world to belong to Him. The first reading praises Him as the eternal Wisdom who dispels the folly of worldly wisdom and enlightens our hearts. The second reading blesses God for granting us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. His name is Emmanuel—God with us. The psalm urges us to rejoice, for He strengthens the bars of our gates, blesses our children, brings peace to our borders, and fills us with the finest wheat. Truly, the Incarnate Word brings us joy, love, healing, and blessings beyond our imagining as we enter this new year.

Yet John also reminds us that these blessings are abundant only for those who welcome Him. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, it did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not accept Him. But to all who did welcome Him, He gave power to become children of God.

This sets before us a task for the new year: to welcome Christ into our hearts by embracing goodness and love toward all people. One of the surest ways to welcome Jesus is to reject sin and to treat every human being as we would treat Christ Himself. We must remember that anyone who fails to show love, respect, fairness, humility, and tenderness to others cannot claim to love Christ. Dear friends, this is our vocation for this year—to let the light of the Incarnate Word shine through our actions and our lives.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 SOLEMNITY OF EPIPHANY OF THE LORD: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: A Call to Be Reflectors of Christ’s Light to the World

Readings: Is. 60:1–6; Eph. 3:2–3a,5–6; Mt. 2:1–12

Dear friends, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ is a great celebration for all of us. The word Epiphany comes from Greek and means “manifestation” or “revelation.” In this solemnity, we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the whole world—to the Gentiles, to all of us who, in the understanding of the Jews of that time, belonged to the Gentile world. We see this in the manifestation of Christ’s star to the Magi, the three Gentile kings who came from the East to visit the newborn Jesus.

The solemnity of Epiphany is a celebration of divine inclusiveness. In this feast, God reveals Himself beyond the borders of Israel. It is a celebration of divine outreach, reminding us that all humanity belongs to God and that every person—regardless of race, tribe, colour, or tradition—is invited to share in the joy of the Incarnation, the birth of Christ. It is a universal celebration, proclaiming that God has come to show His love to the whole world, for “He so loved the world that He gave His only Son for its redemption.” Epiphany celebrates the expansive nature of God’s salvation and the truth that His reign reaches beyond every boundary.

Today’s Gospel offers us important lessons for the new year.

Dear friends, the Lord has been revealed to us in this Christmas season, and His light has shone upon us, as this feast proclaims. Christ wants His light to shine in the world through us. In today’s Gospel, the Magi became the first point of contact between Christ and their nations; they carried His light back to their people. One of the challenges of our world today is that many Christians are shy or afraid to share Christ’s light. Anti-life policies spread in governments because many Christians in leadership fail to reflect Christ’s teaching. Some remain silent out of fear of criticism; others choose the darkness for the sake of money or fame. Dear brothers and sisters, Christ calls us to be the prism that reflects the light of His teaching into the world’s policies and decisions.

Many of our friends do not come to church because those of us who do often fail to reflect Christ’s light to them. Put simply, our lives do not always communicate Christ’s teachings, and our actions do not draw others toward Him or His Church.

Perhaps you have noticed that many Christians hesitate to speak about Christ to their friends. They prefer silence rather than risk losing friendships or causing offense, even when those friends promote ideas contrary to the Christian faith. Dear friends, Epiphany challenges us to be a point of contact between Christ and those who do not come to church. Let our vocation this year be to bring Christ’s light to our friends, illuminating their hearts and lives with the Christian message. Let us be the “Bible” our non‑churchgoing friends can read.

The second lesson is that the Gospel shows us the best way to encounter Jesus. The Magi approached Him with the finest gifts of their culture—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—symbolic offerings for the newborn King. Dear friends, God has blessed us with many talents and gifts, and He wants us to come to Him each day with the best of what He has given us. Our voices for reading and singing, our musical skills, our intelligence for teaching, and our ability to lead—these are all beautiful gifts from God. He wants us to use them to build up the Christian community, our families, and society. Sadly, many people use their talents to create division and confusion. Today, the Church invites us to use our gifts to promote peace, love, and unity in the Church, in our families, and in the wider society.

Peace be with you. Happy Solemnity of Epiphany.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima