We know God loves us and lives within us, when we able to do the following: love unconditionally, do good without expecting rewards, go the extra mile for others, find every occasion to be at the service of people, and face the day of judgement without fear.

Faith is solidarity with each other.  Hence, it is critical that we keep up our study and contemplation of scriptures and the study of theology, and most of all sharing our faith with one another just as the Jewish leaders shared their findings with the Magi. Through faith study and sharing, we support each other in faith, especially when we are going through periods of doubt. We need the company and support of our friends to find the star. Like the Magi, they travelled together to give each other support. They never travelled alone because they would be lost or be led astray. The Feast of the Epiphany entails that we who have found the Lord must not keep Him to ourselves but share with all of humanity.

If we are all children of God, then we must treat our brothers and sisters with deep respect and dignity because they are the face of God. We have a common Father, a common family, a common destiny to be with our Father together with the rest of humanity at the end of time. This is the basis for peace, knowing that we are all called to be one people, one family of God.

As the year comes to an end, let us spend some time before the Lord to read His Word, go through the events of our 2021, and ask Him how we can move forward anew, so that we can find fresh hope and new perspective.

We are possessed by what we seek to possess. When we constantly seek out what the world has to offer, we become slaves of the world. Instead, we need to always seek Christ and His will, while being good stewards of God’s gifts in creation.

Simeon in today’s gospel teaches us how to prepare to depart from this world. We read that he “was an upright and devout man.” Living a life of integrity and honesty is certainly a pre-requisite for us to die in peace. When we live an inconsistent lifestyle, a life of sin, a life of deceit and irresponsibility, a life that is lived only for oneself, without regard for the rights of others, then we cannot live in peace. Those of us who have ill-gotten gains will deeply regret because we cannot take even a cent to the next world. That is why it is important for us to strive to live an upright and just life. In the final analysis, knowing that we have done our best, kept His commandments, especially of love and selfless service to Him and our brothers and sisters, is what will give us peace when departing from this world.

Our children are gifts from God, for us to form them in love and faithfulness to Him. When our children have faith and piety for the Lord, they will be faithful to us and love us even more.

In celebrating the first coming of Christ, the Church puts in perspective His life, death and resurrection. We have regained our dignity as God’s children and we know for certain that our goal is to be with God our Father after our journey in this life. We live with hope and confidence that there is a tomorrow. So how do we celebrate the past so that the present becomes a real foretaste of the future if not to welcome our Lord into our hearts in prayer, in worship, and also in our fellowmen. Indeed, who were those who welcomed our Lord when He came? They were the shepherds in the countryside. They were the lowly ones despised by society. God sent His angels to announce to them, “Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” We too must announce the Good News to those who are poor, spiritually, materially and emotionally. We must be the Emmanuel of God, His presence in our outreach to those who have no joy, those in despair and those without hope and love. We must be generous with our gifts, especially to those who need assurance of our love. May we speak words of comfort to those who need to hear words of encouragement. This is a difficult world, let us not discourage each other by saying nasty words and destroying the goodness in people. May we bring Christ, His love, peace and joy to those that we meet today and tomorrow and every other day. Let us be peacemakers, be people who inspire and encourage those who are weak. Let us be forgiving and tolerant of sinners. In this way, they will see the compassion and love of God in us as we see it in Christ Jesus, our Prince of Peace.

God wants to be close to us, and all His people. Let us welcome Him, and share about Him with others. Like John the Baptist, may we proclaim the forgiveness of our Lord in our lives, and show the way to those who walk in darkness and in despair by giving them hope in our Lord, the Rising Sun.

Like Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah, we have to ask ourselves how God is working in our lives and wants us to cooperate in His plan of salvation. In these days of preparations and celebrations, let us not forget to make time for our Lord, for silence and contemplation.