In Our Search for God

HOMILY: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Matthew 2:1-12

7 January 2024 

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez 

Happy Second Christmas! It may sound strange to our ears but for the Eastern Christians this is when they hold their Christmas feasting! The celebration of Epiphany, meaning “manifestation”, is traditionally referred to as “second” Christmas. (So yung mga di nakapaghanda o nabitin sa handaan ng December 25, puwede pa maghanda uli mamaya.) 😉 

The gospel passage for this feast is all about a search for SOMEONE whose value is beyond measure. The Magi were said to have followed a star to Bethlehem. It must have taken much study and research to determine which of the thousands of stars in the sky was the one they should follow. As it is, there are eighty-eight (88) constellations in the northern and southern hemisphere. Roughly seven (7) new stars are formed each year in the Milky Way. Imagine the lengths they must have gone to ascertain which one star signalled the birth of the Messiah? To many it may have seemed like a “fool’s errand”, but to them, it was worth all the expense and the effort to find the ONE whom they believed to be of incomparable value, not only for the Jews but for humankind.  

Our life is characterised by all sorts of pursuits that we deem important to us. Many of us are caught up in our quest for wealth, fame, pleasure and power.  Imagine how much money politicians spend on a campaign in pursuit of a seat in government; or ordinary people who pull the dumbest acts or most dangerous stunts on Tiktok in the hopes of going viral and hitting it big as an influencer?  Twenty (20) years ago, yuppies worked hard and saved up for luxury bags and watches. Young professionals these days work hard and save up to travel or buy gadgets. There’s really nothing wrong with these pursuits as long as we take care not to lose ourselves in them. 

It is a terrible waste of life to focus all our efforts on accumulating possessions or acquiring feathers in our caps at the cost of our relationship with God and others. No one dies for not owning the latest version of the iPhone or not wearing the hottest stuff in fashion today or for not racking up impressive scores on a video game. We only think we will die, but we won’t. If all our time and energy are spent on making money for worldly pursuits, then they become our idols. They take the place of God, who must be our priority in life. Equally dangerous is the fact that many of us miss out on what truly matters like laying foundations for important relationships with family and friends and being still and sensitive enough to revel in simplicity, love, compassion, and contentment. 

St. Augustine, though revered now as among the greatest saints also wrestled his way toward conversion. He even admits that things of the world kept him from finding God. St Augustine, in his Confessions, writes of his deep regret at spending much of his life seeking the beauty of created things rather than seeking the Creator of such beauty.  “Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you, and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen. You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you, those things which would have no being, were they not in you.” So much so that he would eventually say: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” 

Our search for God, much like the long and tedious journey of the Magi to find the new-born King of the Jews, can be hard and challenging as well. At times, we may become discouraged and distracted by the world in our search for Jesus. If only we persevere and remain hopeful like the Magi, we will realise that finding God is inevitable not because of our efforts to look for Him but because God always chooses to reveal Himself to us along life’s journey. Through God’s guidance by a star, the Magi found the new-born King of the Jews. Through God’s guidance by a warning in a dream, they evaded trouble with King Herod. Our own journey can be wrought with missed signs and false turns but God’s grace always picks us up and sets us toward the right path. 

St. John Chrysostom once said: “If you knew how quickly people would forget you after your death, you would not seek in your life to please anyone but God (alone).”  This should put into perspective the value God holds over anything else that our life may hold. Let us not grow weary of seeking Him and trust that God will not allow our effort to be in vain.  So, here’s wishing you… Merry Christmas! Happy Feast of the Epiphany!

Artwork by: Gertrude Mary Powys