Hi everyone, and welcome to Weekly Homilies with Father Mark Suslenko, Pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. We are part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. I'm Carol Vassar, parish director of communications, and this is Episode 5 of Season 5 for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: January 2, 2022. Our Gospel reading is from Matthew, Chapter 2, verses 1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king, they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
The Gospel of the Lord
“God’s Gift of Light” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut
We've all had the experience of going in search of something that we want in a darkened room or space.
We know in our minds that the thing is exactly where it was when we last put it there, and need to not put the light on because we're sure of where we need to go. And so determined to navigate this darkness, we find ourselves tripping over something that we forgot was on the floor and rummaging through some paperwork that we thought was more organized than what it was and fumbling to find the thing that we thought was going to be easy to discover, but we stubbornly stay in the darkness and refusing to flip that switch, to put on the light. And then after you're giving up all hope, we put the switch on.
What causes us to not do the obvious? What causes us to not flip that switch?
Maybe it's self-determination. Perhaps it's stubbornness. Perhaps it's the need to prove something to ourselves, whatever it may be. But we often don't do the obvious thing of bringing light into the darkness so that we can see where we need to go.
Many years ago, I visited a woman regularly and, in bringing Holy Communion to her I would do so often at the peak of the day. And she lived in this very beautiful, large house, massive windows situated in an area where a lot of light can certainly come in and illuminate the beauty of this structure. But I noticed, time after time, that even at the height of (the) day, she would be in her house with all of the shades drawn, living only with the dimness of light.
And so finally I asked her one day why she didn't open the blinds and let the light in so she could better see what she was doing. And she said, "Father,", she said, "I used to have a very beautiful home. But over the years, I've allowed it to run into decay and become quite dirty and cluttered and filled with things. And I'm quite honestly ashamed to look at what I have done. And so it's better for me to live this way than to face that truth."
In our own personal lives, we do that very same thing spiritually.
God has become one like us in Jesus Christ; that's the profound truth of Christmas. Today we celebrate that, that light that has scattered the darkness has come into the world, not just for a select few, but for all of humanity in all corners of the world. Not to judge or to condemn, but to enlighten and embrace.
God has given us the light. Why is it so difficult for us to flip the switch?
When God came into the world, he showed us that he is the essence of perfect love. And so the true gift of that life is God's love as it enters into the human soul and it's ready to create this space to welcome that love.
But we have to make the choice to do so. He's not going to invade our space. And when we invite God in, sometimes we have to step aside. And when that light and that love floods all the corners of our soul and all of our, hearts, we sometimes, and often do see the things we would rather not see. We see our sinfulness. We see our weakness. We see our selfishness. We see our independence.
We see what we have done. And sometimes it's hard to face the truth of who we have become and who we are. And so we're reluctant to flip that switch. We're reluctant to turn on that light and allow that light of God to shine into the darkest corners of who we are.
You know, the message of Christmas and the light that has come into the world are here primarily for this: that God, who was born in time over 2,000 years ago, now wants to be born in this time, in this soul, in this heart. He wants his presence to come alive within us, so that we begin to live, not for ourselves, but for Him. That our path and our journey through this life is not meant to serve ourselves but to be an instrument and a vehicle for His divine power and love.
And that requires that we step out of the way and we become a lot less concerned about our own needs and wants. And we begin to, as we make decisions and chart the course of our lives to use the power of God's love and presence as the guiding rudder that sails our vessel.
And so as we begin to ponder the wonderful gift that has been given to us in Christmas and the wonderful gift that God has bestowed on all of humanity, perhaps you say, how do I know that I am bearing God within? How do I know that I am where I need to be?
And the answer is this: you will know that you are centered and focused in the right place when you begin to look for and seek God in all things; to look for and seek God in all things.
God did not come into the world to tell us that He was above us or around us, but that He is in us, and one with us.
And so when we develop the habit of prayer and when we embark upon this pursuit and we take who we are seriously and who God is seriously, then we begin to look for and search for God in all things.
And what happens?
Then, everything begins to look differently. We don't see things at face value anymore, but as they reflect and radiate the fullness of God.
I'm sure you've all had the wonderful experience of absorbing the sun on a very bright sunny day. And when you look at the radiance of that light, sometimes it's so strong that it's even hard to remain focused on it. It hurts our eyes. And as we turn away from the experience of that sun and we look at something else, we still see the sun. It has penetrated and changed our vision so much. And it takes a bit for our eyes to adjust and to come into the vision of what was there.
Well, that's what happens when we are ignited with God's love. God hooks us with His love. Entices us. Draws us to Him so that, as we begin to see the power of that presence operating within each one of us, we look out at the world and now it dazzles and sparkles with the brilliance of God. And we begin to contemplate God in all things. And once we begin to understand that God is in all things and that my true purpose in life is to become like God, then we know what is meant by the word salvation. We know what is meant by our eternal destiny and home.
Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Learn more about our parish community www.isidoreandmaria.org. And follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Our music comes free of charge from Blue Dot Sessions in Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m Carol Vassar. Thanks for joining us.