Wednesday after Epiphany
1 Jn 4:11-18
Mk 6:45-52
No one has ever seen God; but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.
Epiphany has just passed. Another meaning for epiphany is a sudden enlightenment or understanding of something. This past Advent season has been different for our family due to the loss of a loved one, and as such, we did not manage to engage ourselves in the usual Advent reflections, prayers, and activities. The days and weeks went by in a bit of a haze. We managed to squeeze in a short vacation, and we spent plenty of time as a family talking and sharing, and simply being there for one another as we tried to manage and help our children make sense of this new reality. There were also, unfortunately, a couple of other families I know who have lost loved ones during this period. Despite the ‘lack’ of Advent preparations, I did, however, come to realise what the true meaning of Christmas really is as I reflected on death. This is my epiphany, which I shall attempt to share with you.
Today’s reading tells us to Love. Because God lives in us, and God is love, therefore we are to love as God does. And this is the central theme of our Catholic faith — Love. The true meaning of Christmas was, is, and always will be the gift of our Saviour. God the Saviour of the world, come to us as a baby. Why? Because God’s love for us means He has sent us a way of reconciling with Him. He has sent his Son to speak of His love and show us how to love. The crux of life is to love. Loving as God does is possibly the surest way to eternal life.
If we were to live a life of love as God intended, we would be living our lives in a state of Grace. St Therese of Lisieux once had a dream as a young child. She dreamed of seeing 2 demons in a garden. Initially shocked, she peered at them and to her surprise the 2 demons spotted her, started with fright, and tried to run and hide from her. It was only later on that St Therese understood the meaning of this dream: “I do not suppose this dream was very extraordinary, but I do think that God made use of it to show me that a soul in the state of grace need never to be afraid of the devil, who is such a coward that even the gaze of a child can frighten him away”. And this is why we need to strive towards a state of grace for our souls.
This brings us to the season of Advent itself. As our family prayed for all the dearly departed, it occurred to me that Advent truly was a season of preparation to receive our Lord. Not simply to welcome a new baby into the world, but to prepare to meet our Saviour — in person. After we die. Advent is the season to reflect on our lives, to atone for our sins, to purify ourselves into a state of grace, to reconcile ourselves with God, because we truly never know the hour of our death. That is why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this time. In fact, we should be preparing ourselves throughout the year and not just during this season or the season of Lent, and therefore the Sacrament is available for us at any time at all.
At Epiphany, the 3 magi travelled and found Jesus and recognised him as the new king. Do we also recognise Jesus as our King? If we do, we know what to do — love as Jesus does. If we do not, it is probably time to look deep into our hearts and make an appointment with our priest to determine where we are headed from here on.
While the concept of Love is simple, it is not easy to actually do it. Like Herod who tried to have Jesus killed, and who actually did order the killing of many babies, the world also tries to get rid of God because it dislikes the message He brings — the message of Love and self sacrifice. It is hard work having to fight through these distractions and misdirections and keep our focus on the Lord. However, as long as we remember that we do not do all this by our own strength but by God’s power, we can always lean on Him.
There is a song by Ruthie Foster called Death Came a Knockin’, in which she sings about those unafraid to meet Death because they have been ready and prepared, and so for them, Death is simply the next phase of the journey. They have done their duties in this life, and are ready to buckle up their shoes and head to the river while rejoicing. And indeed, our lives and our deaths are never only merely about us. They are about God and the eternal life that has been promised to us. It is important to get ready for that eternal life in Heaven.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the key message today that I have for you is that we must all love ourselves, and others, the way God loves us. This way, we can be assured that God lives in us, and we would not have fears about our judgement when the day comes when we least expect it.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Felicia Zou)
Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray for the courage and humility to seek your forgiveness and reconcile ourselves to you when we have sinned.
Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, we thank You for Your unending love and patience for us, even when we fall so many times.
OXYGEN 
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