Bishop Deeley celebrates Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Celebrating Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Bishop Robert Deeley said the feast, which commemorates the journey of the Magi to visit the Christ Child, marks, in a way, the revelation of the great message of Christmas to the world.
“The origin of these Magi as coming from the East is central to the story. It signifies for us that Jesus has come not for one group of people or one nation. All people are numbered among the chosen. No one is ‘from away’ in the life of the Christian,” the bishop said during the Mass, celebrated January 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
The Magi are often referred to as the wisemen, but despite their wisdom, the bishop said they understood that their study and knowledge of the world was not sufficient to explain everything to them. So, they went to seek something more.
"They wanted to follow the track of the star because they felt that it would guide them to a turning point in the history of the world," the bishop said. "These searchers remind us that searching, seeking, and hoping for a better future are a part of the mystery of the human person."
Although we don't know where their journey began, the bishop said that the Magi undoubtedly faced questions from their contemporaries as they set out to follow the star, but they did not let that deter them.
“There is something that we can learn from them. We are tempted to live as everyone else, to say what everyone says, to allow our response to events to be what everyone else thinks. These wise people are not going to accept that condition of life. They are seeking the truth for themselves,” the bishop said.
And when they saw the Christ Child, the bishop said, God gave them the grace to understand they had found what they sought.
“They have found the Truth. The Gospel tells us that, upon seeing the child with his mother, ‘they prostrated themselves and did him homage,'” the bishop said.
While the Gospel says the Magi returned home “by another way” to avoid King Herod, the bishop said that it can also be concluded that not only did the Magi take a different route home but that they, themselves, went home different than when they came.
“They had encountered Jesus. He had changed their lives,” the bishop said. “Is that not that why Jesus came? He tells us in the opening statement of his public life, ‘Repent. Change the direction of your lives.’ Live in accord with what you have learned from me.”
Bishop Deeley said that while Christmas is a time to gather with family and a time of good memories, it is important to remember that the message of Christmas is much greater than that.
“It is a call to discover what the shepherds and kings came to know, each in their own way. God is among us in Jesus. He comes to bring the love of God into the world. He sends us on mission to bring that same message to the world,” the bishop said. “We are called, then, to allow the encounter we have with God in Jesus Christ to change us, to help us to return to our homes and neighborhoods ‘another way,’ showing in our lives that we believe that we have encountered something here. We have found, in the gift we receive at Christmas, and celebrate again today in Epiphany, the meaning of our lives, and someone, Jesus, who will show us a new way of life.”
The bishop noted that the Feast of the Epiphany is an important celebration for the people of the East. In many countries, it is this day and not on Christmas day when gifts are exchanged. He asked for prayers most especially for the people of Ukraine and for the people of China.
The bishop also noted that Wednesday, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a day set aside to raise awareness about the widespread problem of human trafficking in this country, something the bishop called “an attack on the basic human dignity of those who are so enslaved.”
