On the Solemnity of Epiphany, January 6, we celebrate the appearance of the Most High to mankind through His Son, Jesus.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1). When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. And when they entered the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His mother, and falling down, they worshiped Him; and opening their treasures, they brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and smyrna. And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12)
These determined, self-reliant men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, show us what we must do to come to Jesus, leaving aside anything that might delay or lead us astray. It is a great journey to meet Jesus, when we look back on our lives we realize that we knew nothing about God when we first started our journey of faith, but now we know a lot with our faith experience and we are sure that in a few years our faith will be even stronger if we build a strong relationship with Jesus.
Only God knows the heart of each person, he is the heart-witness, it was God who found an approach to the Magi who saw the Star of Bethlehem, because they were investigating the heavenly luminaries and could not miss this phenomenon. In the same way we need to be attentive to the signs that our Lord gives us. We sometimes say: "God will come into our lives and everything will be perfect", according to Father Superior, this is a huge misconception. It is common for every person to complain to God if there are difficulties, sufferings, illnesses, etc. Then one should ask God: "Lord, what do You want to say to me through this trial?" and then all difficulties will turn into something good, the Lord does not leave us, He goes along with us, helps us to bear the cross of our life.
In his sermon, Father Dietmar encouraged us to reflect especially at the end of the day and ask ourselves where God has been in my life today, what joys He has given me in my everyday life. The Lord will certainly answer all of our questions, but not immediately, all we need is faith.
Returning to the Magi, who were determined to follow the light given to them by God, even though it pointed to thorny and difficult paths, they did not want to follow their own light, which could have led them down a much safer and smoother path: for on that path they would never be able to meet Jesus. When they lost sight of the light given from above, they resorted to other means available to them to reach the cave of Bethlehem. Reaching Jesus was the only thing that interested them. Our whole life is a journey to Christ, a journey that we walk in the light of faith. That same faith, when necessary, prompts us to ask and to be obedient. If the light that guides us goes out, we should hasten to the "good shepherd" - our priest.
The wise men again saw the star that showed them where the Lord was, because they followed the advice and guidance of those whom the Lord had placed in their path at that moment. Very often our faith requires obedience, a genuine humility that allows us to receive help in spiritual guidance from someone we know as a good shepherd.
Link to Holy Mass broadcast https://vk.com/video699376263_456239844
