January 4: The Day of the Lord / El Día del Señor

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord offers us three distinct responses to the birth of the “newborn King of the Jews.” The first response is that of King Herod, who tried to eliminate the Child. The second response, that of the priests and scribes, was to ignore Him. And the third response, represented by shepherds and the Magi, was to “come and adore Him.” The heart of today’s Feast is the encouragement we need to make sure we belong to the third group! But how do we do that?

We adore the newborn King by worshiping Him at Mass with, as St. John Chrysostom said, “the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility, and the frankincense of our adoration.” We also adore Him by giving a new direction to our lives. As the Magi chose “another route” to return to their homes, we are invited to choose, each day, a better way of life: abstaining from proud thoughts, leaving behind evil habits and selfish behaviors; and we also adore Him by becoming “stars" ourselves by leading others in His direction, just like the star led the Magi to Jesus. 

Are you still looking for a resolution for the New Year? How about radiating, each day, Jesus’ love through selfless service, unconditional forgiveness, and compassionate care?

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Celebramos hoy la Solemnidad de la Epifanía del Señor: la manifestación de Dios a todos en el mundo, en su Hijo, Jesucristo, el Mesías. Precisamente, los Magos del relato Evangélico, venidos de Oriente, simbolizan a las personas de todas las razas y de todos los pueblos que descubren en Cristo al Hijo de Dios.

Hoy es el día en que conmemoramos y revivimos el momento en el que Dios se manifiesta a los gentiles, es decir, cuando el Señor abre las puertas de su Reino a todos, sean o no hebreos, pertenezcan o no al pueblo judío. Hoy el Señor destruye todas las fronteras. Con el nacimiento de Cristo, una nueva estrella se enciende en lo alto de los cielos, su luz brilla con claridad y fuerza, es un signo visible del amor de Dios, de su llamada insistente y persuasiva para que cada uno siga el camino marcado por la luz de la fe en Cristo. Él mismo nos llama a ser santos.