Homily for Epiphany - January 7, 2018

Homily for Epiphany

January 7, 2018

Feast of Evangelization

            “Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.” We sang/said those words in today’s Psalm. But is it true? Does every nation on earth adore the Lord? Does every person in this nation adore the Lord? Do they even know Him? If not – why not?

            In some sense this could be called the Feast of Evangelization instead of Epiphany. For the first time, Gentiles (non-Jews) encounter the Lord. His glory and majesty is becoming known to other nations – and I guarantee these wise men spoke about Who they encountered when they got back home! Could you imagine if they returned from their months-long journey and get back home to Persia or India and their wives asked them, “So, how was it? What did you see?” Would they be embarrassed and mumble, “Oh, you know, not much. Just some baby.” Or would they proclaim with joy, “We saw the Savior of the World!” I’d bet they told everyone they knew about their remarkable journey to worship the King of the Universe.

            So, let’s go back to that Psalm – Lord, every nation on earth will adore You. Does everyone know the Lord? If not, it falls to us to be the ones to proclaim Him! If we discover a new movie that we really like, or try a new restaurant that really impresses us, we tell everyone about it: “Oh, you’ve got to go see that new Avengers movie! It was really amazing – such great graphics, such good acting!” We’re not ashamed to proclaim our love for a movie or a restaurant – we should not be afraid to proclaim our love for Jesus Christ!

            Some say, “Well, yes, but it’s uncomfortable and awkward to talk about Jesus with others. They might get offended, or we might lose a friendship.” Perhaps – but there is something truly important at stake here – the eternal salvation of souls. That is worth a bit of embarrassment or controversy to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ in love!

            Let’s say that a man has a friend who is struggling with alcoholism. He knows that his friend drinks too much, that it’s harming his family and his job and his health, and will lead to disaster and unemployment and an early death if he doesn’t stop. What would be more loving: for the man to stand by silently as his friend destroys his life with alcohol, or for this man to kindly and patiently urge his friend to get to AA meetings or to give up drinking? Clearly, to do nothing as your friend destroys his life is not being a true friend!

            Likewise, all of us have been infected with the disease of sin. Sin makes us miserable – it destroys our inner peace, causes division in families and society, makes us self-centered, and ultimately leads to the eternal death of Hell. We need a Savior – and some of us have found that Savior: His Name is Jesus Christ! But then how can we stand by as we watch the rest of our family and friends and society slowly die from the poison of sin without telling them of the only true Healer there is – Jesus Christ!

            How can we evangelize like these Wise Men, who told the world of their encounter with the Lord? I propose three ways that all of us can evangelize in our everyday life.

            First, invite. Invite your friends or family to come to Mass, or youth group, or Walking With Purpose or Men’s Group or some other encounter with the Lord. Some people are only waiting for the invitation!

            In my old youth group at St. Mary’s in Stamford, there was this kid named Joel who was absolutely on-fire with love for Jesus Christ, and he was the best evangelist I have ever met. He once said to his best friend, “Hey, are you going to JC’s party tonight?” She replied, “Who’s JC?” Joel said, “Oh come on, you know JC. You guys are tight.” She was still confused – “I don’t know anyone named JC.” Joel kept going: “Yes you do! He’s known you since you were young. Come on, let’s go to his party tonight.” She said, “My parents won’t let me go to a party at a stranger’s house. I don’t know this JC you keep talking about.” Joel responded, “OK, do I need to show you a picture?” He whipped out his iPhone and showed her a picture of…the Eucharist, Jesus Christ (or JC!). She laughed and ended up going to Adoration with him that night. Sometimes people are willing to pray and encounter Christ – if they are just invited!

            Second, know your faith and be able to explain it. I grew up down south in Maryland, where there are surprisingly few Catholics (considering it was the first Catholic colony!). Among my friends in Boy Scouts, I was pretty much the only Catholic they knew, so when we would always get into discussions about Faith, they would turn to me for the Catholic perspective. We would be sitting around a bonfire at a campout and the conversation would turn deep. I remember one time having a big debate about abortion with my buddies – all fourteen-year-old philosophers – and I was being forced to defend our Catholic understanding of the sanctity of life. It really made me realize that I needed to know my faith deeply so I could explain it accurately! Surely in your life, you will be in conversations where people will question the Church’s teaching – “Why don’t you support gay marriage?” “How can you believe in the Bible?” “With all the suffering in the world, how do you know God is real?” “Why do you go to Mass?” We need to know our Faith well enough to be able to explain it!

            Third, wear your faith on your sleeve…literally! I know a kid who, on the first day of high school as a freshman in a public school, wore a shirt that said, “John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” Woah! My dad used to hang up a crucifix in his office at work, where his coworkers could come in and see it – and they would often ask him questions about faith or ask for prayers. I wear a scapular (a sacramental that we wear around our neck to show our devotion to Our Lady) and once when I was going swimming with some buddies as a teen, one of my friends (a Methodist!) saw it and asked what it was. I explained to him that it showed my devotion to Mary and asked for her protection. He seemed unimpressed at the time, but later that day before we went home, he asked if he could have one! So I got him one and he wore it! Not being ashamed of symbols of our faith – wearing a crucifix, carrying a Rosary, putting up holy pictures in your home and your office and your locker at school – is a great way to evangelize.

            I will close with a true story. In the USSR in the 1970s, atheism was the “official” religion of the state. Kids were brought up in school learning that there is no God, and many churches had to go underground for fear of persecution. There was a young professor at a university who was an atheist until an older professor quietly and discretely explained to him about Christianity – at great risk to himself. This younger professor converted and was baptized secretly. He wrote a letter to his wife after his conversion saying, “Oh! The Sacraments bring me such joy! Why did no one ever tell me of the treasures of the Church?”

            In our modern neo-pagan and atheistic society, there are millions of souls crying out the same thing: “Why has no one told us of the treasures of Christ?”

            Go and tell them.