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The story is told about a little boy who asked his father : “ Dad , I am a little confused . They say that if you eat lechon baboy , you eat pork , right ? And if you eat lechon baka , you eat beef . So if you eat lechon kawali , do you eat a frying pan ?”
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany , the revelation of the Messiah to the Gentiles , the manifestation of God ’ s plan of salvation for all humankind . The people at that time were a little confused as to what or who the Messiah is . As it was then , so it is still now . The searching goes on .
In today ’ s Gospel ( Mt 2 , 1-12 ), we learn of how the Magi found the Messiah . Why ?
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They searched diligently and they were guided by a star . Let us take our cue from them . If we want to find God , we must be diligent , and we must be open to guidance from above . To find God , we must go out of our way and leave our comfort zone .
The shepherds also found the Messiah . Why ? Because they were simple and humble . Complicated and proud people cannot find God because they do their search from their own perspective and from their vantage point . The truth of the matter is that we do not find God . Rather , we find God if we allow ourselves to be found by Him .
Fr . Emil Lim , SVD , writes in “ The Word in Other Words ” ( Logos Publications ) that there are four pointers to
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find Jesus : “ The journey , the star , the gifts , and a different way home .” All of us have to make the journey to find God . We must continue to follow the star no matter how difficult the journey is . We must offer our gifts to God as we journey on — i . e ., our time , resources , and talents , as our way of doing homage to Him . Finally , we must not go back to our old ways . We must not backtrack . We must move on to broader and newer horizons .
One must-have companion in our journey is prayer . Nowadays people have GPS , Waze , and other applications so that they are guided and do not lose their way . In the same way , we need prayer to guide us and help us find our way to God ’ s heart . Prayer is not only a compass that guides us , but also the fuel that lets us keep going .
More and more I realize the value and wisdom of praying the Breviary , the Liturgy of the Hours . It is the
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official prayer of the Church , in union with the whole world , sanctifying the hours from sunrise to sunset . When a priest prays the Breviary , he realizes how little he is before this great and tremendous God , and how he can find refuge , guidance , forgiveness and strength from Him .
I remember how Papa always reminded me about the Breviary , and I appreciate him for that . May I also ask you , dear reader , to join us , aside from your personal prayers , to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily .
The “ Pandasal ” ( the “ food prayer ,” so to speak , from sunup to sundown ) is a beautiful and handy prayer book compiled by the priests and brothers of the Society of St . Paul which contains the Mass for the day as well as the morning and evening prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours . It is a big help for the priests , religious and the laity who are in search of discipline , depth and dynamism in their
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daily prayer . It is available at Catholic bookstores ( www . stpauls . ph / pandasal ).
We have the year 2017 ahead of us . Let us make the journey not so much in search of more money , power , or fame as in search of our Savior . We do not know what the future holds , but we know who holds the future in His hands , and that is enough . Let us trust Him more , and worry less . Let us stay focused on our star , and let us stay together .
Thought for the journey : Learn to let go and to let God , learn to travel light . Remember , the journey is not about going far and fast . The journey is going to the heart — to one ’ s heart , to other people ’ s hearts , and to God ’ s heart .
A moment with the
Lord :
Lord , be with us in our journey . Help us not to be discouraged , and not to stop searching for better ways . Amen . ( Inquirer )
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