Fr. John Craghan writing for Liguori Publications offers the following about the readings for today's feast.
Revelation is the sharing of values. We often imagine God's revelation to be much more complicated than that. We think of difficult doctrines, of theologians pouring over dusty tomes, of solemn pronouncements from the Vatican. Today's Scriptures deal with concrete situations in which God reveals the Divine viewpoint on reality -- God's system of values that gives a new world view.
The author of the first passage is trying to console the despondent people of Jerusalem. The exile is over, but only a trickle of God's people have returned home. The people are doubting their own worth and esteem. Was God still interested? The prophet answers by describing Jerusalem as a city bathed in light because Yahweh resides there. This light is so brilliant that exiles and gift-bearing Gentiles converge on the city, making clear the value of all people in God's eyes.
The author of Ephesians communicates a facet of God's plan for salvation. This new revelation is that the Gentiles are in communion with Israel. The Gentiles thus are coheirs and partners in salvation. The wall of separation between Jew and Gentile is destroyed (see Ephesians 2:14). Dignity is realized by sharing the inheritance with Israel.
Matthew writes at a critical moment in the life of his community. Many Gentiles were entering the community, but many Jews were leaving it (see Matthew 21:42). In order to show that the admission of the Gentiles is part of God's plan, he tells the story of the astrologers. The pagan astrologers are the first to pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews; the Jewish leadership rejects this King. The faith of the gentile astrologers is meant to challenge the Jewish defectors.
The central revelation in Christianity is the belief
that God has spoken God's greatest word in God's Son, Jesus. The Incarnation
is a value judgment about humanity: All have dignity because Jesus became
one of us. All are to be respected.
(John Craghan, Th.D., S.S.L. © Liguori Publications,
All Rights Reserved.)
God's secrets are not so secret after all. We can read all about them in the Scriptures. Since we can know the secrets we can also proclaim them to all we meet. Let us not fear to do so.
