A Song of Hope

Today is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and it is also Epiphany Sunday, which is the celebration of when the Magi came by way of the star and adored Jesus in the manger. These two feasts align this year not by mistake, but perhaps so that the Lord can show us something very important for these times. With all that is going on in the world, it can be easy to lose our way. There is so much competing information out there that it is hard to know what is true and what is right. More often than I’d like to admit, we even have conflicting and confusing messages coming from our very own priests and bishops. With this, many people are being led astray. When we do not keep our focus on Jesus, who is the source of Truth and Righteousness, we place ourselves in danger. This day and age, that danger is even more close at hand than other more peaceful times in history, so we must be ever more vigilant in our efforts of staying close to Jesus.

On this Epiphany Sunday, we would do well to enter into the hearts and minds of the Magi. These wise men were searching for the King of Wisdom, the King of all Truth. They studied the prophets of Israel, looked to the sky, and found a sign. They followed the star, which led them to a baby just born in a manger in Bethlehem. The humblest of thrones for the King of kings. They must have wondered if they were in the right place. Yet the response of the Magi reveals to us that they knew they were in the presence of the Son of God, the source of all Wisdom, as they fell to the ground prostrate, laying in adoration.

We too come before our King each and every time we enter the sanctuary. He is in the tabernacle of every Catholic Church. It is there that we come into the presence of the King of kings, our Lord and our Savior. It is Jesus Christ who is our heart’s deepest desire and he can be found in humble bread and wine. How do we enter into His presence? Do we fall to our knees in humble adoration like the Magi, realizing that all we have been searching for has been found? It would have been easy for the Magi to skip over the manger, to not believe they had found the King. What an unassuming place for a King to be born. But they did not pass by the Lord. The star and the prophets had led them and so they remained, they believed, they adored.

Today we also celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The name Jesus means “God saves”. It is appropriate that at this very time in history, we recognize amongst all the chaos of the world, who is our Savior. It’s not science or government officials. It is Jesus Christ. He is our one and only Savior. How do we reverence His Holy Name? When we speak of Jesus do we honor Him or do we blaspheme His name? To blaspheme the Lord’s name is no joking matter for it is to pronounce words against its very meaning that “God saves”. Just as it is for all of us, Jesus’ name is His identity. He is the Savior. To denounce His name is to denounce your Savior.

If we look at all that this past year has been, it has brought a lot of fear, anxiety, stress, doubt, depression, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, division, distrust, despair, and hopelessness into our hearts. The aligning of these two feasts reveals to us a remedy of sorts. In all this, our Savior is Jesus Christ and in order to proclaim this and begin to live it, we must imitate the Magi, who listened to the prophets and followed the star, which led them to the humblest of places, to the humblest of kings, a baby born in a small town to lowly parents. Today we find our Lord amongst the chaos of the world in the tiny host. Are we willing to travel to see Him, to receive Him, to bow down before Him?

A Song of Hope

The humble will triumph
I trust in the Lord
For he has shown the way
He has won the victory
The victory of the cross
The way of humility
He is victorious over evil
He wins against pride
He defeats the arrogant
And brings low those in power

The Lord is my refuge
In Him there is life
The Lord is my help
With Him I shall not fear
For the world is rising up against me
Evil surrounds me on every side
But my hope is in the Lord
Who gives me strength
And the courage to stand

For He is everything
My whole life
My inmost being
I am fashioned after His heart
I sing to the Lord all my days
For He will lift me up
He will pull me out of the depths of fear
He will save me from despair
He will fill me with perfect love
And make a treasure out of me

The Lord is my hope
In Him alone there is no other
My heart longs for the Lord
From the depths I long to see His face
So I will sing His praises
I will walk in His ways
I will go to the mountaintop
And glorify His name forever