By Fr. Roy Cimagala
The Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany reminds us that Christ is meant for all of us, and not just a few, and like the Three Magi, we should make an effort to look for him, that is, to look for God, in everything in our lives — in the people we meet, in the different situations, conditions and circumstances of our life.
To be sure, God is everywhere. This is how one of the psalms describes this reality: “Whither shall I go from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)
More than that, God’s presence is not merely passive but active. He is always intervening in the existence of all the creatures, ever applying his wisdom through the ceaseless providence that he exercises over all his creation, whose nature he always respects, upholds and defends.
What all these considerations can tell us is that, like the Three Magi, we need to persevere in looking for Christ despite the difficulties and challenges we may encounter along the way. “By your perseverance, you will secure your lives,” Christ told a crowd one time. (Luke 21:19) He listed down some terrible scenarios that can happen in our lives which we should just learn to endure, since he will always be with us, defending, protecting and teaching us how to react all the way.
“They will seize and persecute you … You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” (Luke 21:12 ff.)
Christ even said that we should not worry about having to prepare our defenses before all these possible severe trials, because, as he said, “I myself shall give you wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” (Luke 21:15)
We have to remember that if Christ could not help but had to offer his life to save us, how can we think that our life and the world in general would take a different path? Remember Christ telling his disciples, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20) So, let’s always keep in mind his assurance, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
With faith and hope, we can manage to endure anything and to persevere, because as St. Paul told us once: “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)
The Pauline words somehow tell us that the secret of perseverance is our strong faith in God, in his omnipotent and merciful providence that can always make do with whatever situation we may find ourselves in any given moment.
We have to see to it that we keep that faith alive and burning. And to make that faith vibrant, we need to keep ourselves always in love. It’s love that keeps our faith going. It should be love that goes beyond good intentions, sweet words and nice feelings. It has to be expressed in deeds./WDJ