Star of Truth

I – Intro:

     A story by Buddha:

     A young widower, who loved his five-year-old son very much, was away on business when the bandits came, burned down the whole village, & took his son away. When the widower returned, he saw the ruins & panicked. He took the charred corpse of an infant to be his own child, & he began to pull his hair, beat his chest, & cried uncontrollably. Then he cremated the charred corpse & put the ashes in a beautiful velvet bag. Working, eating, sleeping, he always carried the bag of ashes w/ him. Then one day, the real son escaped from the bandits & found his way home. He arrived at his father’s new cottage at midnight, & knocked at the door. The Father asked: “Who’s there?” And the child answered: “It’s me Papa. Open the door, it’s your son.”  In his agitated state of mind, the father thought that some mischievous boy was making fun of him, he shouted at the child to go away. The boy knocked again & again, but the father refused to let him in. Some time passed, & finally the boy left. The Father & son never saw one another.

     After telling this story, Buddha said: “Sometimes, somewhere, you take something to be the truth. If you cling to it too much, & when the real truth comes & knocks at your door, you will not open it.” Thus, you will never know the truth.

II – Message:

     Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. As we know Epiphany is a Greek word which means – to manifest. Manifest what? Manifest the truth. That is why in this feast, God breaks through & God reveals the truth to the gentile world represented by the three wise men. Because as St. Paul tells in our 2nd Read. (Ep. 3:2-3, 5-6): “they are now our co-heirs & partners – our fellow travelers to salvation.” The truth in this Magi story is represented by the star that they followed.

     We call it the STAR OF TRUTH.

     The star in Matthew’s story of the Magi is the symbol of Christ & His Church. And we can say in our day & age:”If we ever lose that star, then we are lost. Without that star, the world is lost. Without that star, there is no truth, no hope.” What the star is for the Magi, we must be for our world today. St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians (Phil. 2:15): “You will shine like the stars in the sky.” For today, Christ is to be found not in Bethlehem, but in the hearts & souls of every believer.

     Brothers & sisters, always remember, everytime we forgive someone, a light shines in the darkness of our world. Everytime we open the door of our hearts to the lonely or the homeless, a light shines in the darkness of our world. Everytime we reach out a hand to feed the hungry, a light shines in the darkness of our world. Everytime we do things as a community or in the spirit of the B.E.C., a light shines in the darkness of our world (at hindi pakanya-kanya & still clinging to the velvet bag of ashes like the man in our story). Everytime we obey the Lord & his Church, a light shines in the darkness of our world.

     Brothers & sisters. You & I must be the stars now shinning in darkness of our world, as (Prophet Isaiah would say it in our 1st Read., Is.60:1-6), but all of these should point to one direction only -  to Christ’s truth.

III – Conclusion:

     This is what the Solemnity of the Epiphany is all about. It is not just a story about a star that lit up the darkness of the ancient world. It is also a story about you & me becoming STARS OF TRUTH in the darkness of our world today & leading other Magi to Christ. Are you ready to accept this noble mission that God is giving you now? I hope you will answer “YES” like Mary, as we pause for a moment of reflection.

Excerpt from:
Epiphany Homily by Msgr. Boy Villaruz - Diocese of Paranaque
 http://www.dop.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53:epiphany-homily-by-msgr-boy-villaruz&catid=35:homilies&Itemid=72