Like The Magi

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Reverend Romulo G. Valles, D.D., on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, San Pedro Cathedral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City at January 8, 2023.)

The magi represent us, so somehow we are told today “watch out because the Lord will always let himself be known;” to be seen, that’s his desire. So the magi, the wise men from the east is a good example for us today as in the past, as a model on how to see all the signals from the Lord. So here, I would like to borrow, thoughts from our present pope, first: how can we be like the magi? Ingon si Pope Francis number one, “do not be afraid to entertain questions.” Do not stop from inquiring, remember they were magi, stable na, mga bright na, wise men. From the gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, from the fact that they were able to travel very far distance from the east, they were people of means, malipayon na sila, settled na, kontento na, okay na sila but yet they were disturbed, they were shaken to see his star. Therefore, if I may add ang ilang pagkakontento sa ilang stars, they were magi, respected, okay, stable, wealth okay na but napalong ang ilang star. We will find Jesus today like the magi, if we start asking questions, dili kontento sa atong comfort zones and dili ta kontento sa set standards of what is happiness today and I do not need to tell you what is happiness today, a big portion of that is happy ka kon you can acquire, acquire, acquire, acquire. Akong cellphone hapit tulo ka tuig, “Muloy palit ug bag-o”. Akong sapatos bisag di pa pudpud, palit ug bag-o, palit ug bag-o, ilisdan, ilisdan, “kung di ka mag-ilis, di ka malipayon.

Second, willing be ta mu journey, we find the Lord. Connected to the star, that would challenge us to move out to seek other paths in life and sharpen our vision of the star by engaging other people. Ang magi left their homes on a journey. Kani rabang journey, compared nga naa sa balay we would discover really what we need when we journey and we would realize how many things at home ang dili necessary. Even the magi learned who this king is, who this Jesus is by engaging people who were not really interested in Jesus. They learned from them, so as we journey in life, as we encounter people in the classroom, in business, in many parts of our life, areas of our lives, we discover the path the Lord wants us to follow. Maybe we would talk to somebody in the journey of life and then we sometimes react to what he/she shares and then “wow, I would like to follow that nice life,” and then mutukar ang imong ambition, and then you ask “is that really what I want?” So by journeying, being with people, do not be afraid, you adjust your journey inside if you keep your discovery of the star of the Lord, asking questions and then getting out of the way to search for the star of Jesus. Ang duha related tungod kay when you begin to be attracted to the answer of the questions in life, you begin to move, to journey to change things, to adjust things, to put a new schedule in life, new set of values in life, that’s the journey.

But third, how would you like to be the magi? It is really to come to Jesus to worship him, like this Sunday, it can be obligation. When we come to Jesus in worship, in adoration like the magi, in adoration it said, their hearts were overjoyed worth the expensive journey from Far East; their hearts were overjoyed. Every Sunday, to come to mass, whether we are laden with problems or forgetful because of our own success unta when we come to worship Jesus, our hearts are simply overjoyed because he is our light. Now, in that worship, the wise men from the east, obviously more wealthy than Mary and Joseph they prostrated. When we come to worship Jesus, are we really that humble? They prostrated and opened their treasures almost equally representing themselves from the east. Meaning, when we see the Lord truly, in worship we see ourselves and we see Jesus makapahinamin ta and then without compulsion we’ll able to bring the treasures of ourselves to Jesus. Bisag minus na, but to be with him is really our treasure. With the magi, let us not be afraid to ask questions, to find new challenges in life, really to find his star in life always and then willing to move, to change, to adjust to abandon maybe some things…and when we find the light in Jesus, we worship him, and worship him with real humility that we are nothing, and then rich or poor, joyful or sorrowful, in front of Jesus we can still offer gifts which are really the treasures of our lives.