Where is God? This
is a question that has been asked by every human being who ever lived at some
time or other in his or her life. The
Solemnity of the Epiphany wants to answer it.
The first reading of the liturgy today, Is. 60:1-6, focuses
the presence of God in Jerusalem, upon which “the glory of the Lord
shines.” The Prophet Isaiah teaches that
the Divine Presence is meant for the children of Israel, but also for the rest
of the world: the peoples, the nations,
the kings who remain in darkness, covered by thick clouds. Israel and all the nations are in search of
God and the radiance of Jerusalem captures their attention. It is there that they will meet and praise
God, offering their gifts.
The Gospel reading of the day, Mt. 2:1-12, also wishes to
focus the presence of God. It identifies
the Divine Dwelling Pace, quite unexpectedly, as a stable in Bethlehem. The Gospel tells the story of the rising Star
that “stopped over the place where the child was.” A major point of the story is that it is not
Israel now that draws attention to the Star, but pagan Wise Men. They represent the whole world, seeking the
Divine Presence, who is there not just for the Jews but also for all of humanity. The treasures in the possession of all
peoples are meant to be poured out before Jesus, the focus of God’s presence and
love for all. It is he who will
orchestrate these treasures to save all people.
And so, each of us is invited today to answer the very
important question, “Where is the focus of God’s presence for you?” It seems obvious to us who believe that that
focus is Christ Jesus. But the Dwelling
Place is even more specific. It is
Christ in the place called St. Joseph Parish.
Like with the stable at Bethlehem, there is a Star shining above 40th
St. and Shea, the place where God is.
Being in this place over which the Star shines is a great
challenge to all of us. Its radiance
forces us to see the parish in new light.
The temptation of parishioners in any parish is to say, “This is
ours. These are our members, this is our
property, this is our money. We take
care of our own.” But is that enough
when the Star is shining over our place?
Certainly, the parish is for the parishioners. But the parish is defined by physical
boundaries that go beyond the parish plant and the active members who
participate in its activities. The Star
over the Dwelling Place of God called St. Joseph Parish calls out to the whole neighborhood
and even beyond.
The Star signals to all who see it that St. Joseph Parish is
a center of outreach for God, a community of religion known to be neighborhood-friendly,
collaborating with all the Star-seekers within its parish boundaries. The Star points out St. Joseph as a place of
evangelizing, a place of generous charity, a place of engagement with everyone
of good will whether Catholic or not, even whether Christian or not. The Star says, “Here is the Dwelling Place of
God, where you can know and praise God, where you can pour out your treasures
for a better world.”
What might living under the shining Star mean in practical
terms for the parish? Perhaps it means
providing parishioners with attractive materials to hand to people who ask
about the Faith, e.g., the unchurched, the fallen away. Perhaps it means the parish has programs to
help parishioners know how to use their own computers to promote the values of
the Gospel. Perhaps it means showing wealthier
members of the community how to make a greater difference with their treasures.
What’s more, having the Star shining over us can motivate us
to welcome others in the neighborhood who need meeting space to promote
Christian-friendly causes. The Star can
mean joining our hands with other churches and groups to meet social needs
around us like hunger, health care, youth formation. The Star can lead us to use our parish
resources for programs that advocate for solutions to problems affecting
everybody, like drug-abuse, gun violence, immigration reform, respect for life
from womb to tomb, etc. Not that we are
not already doing good things! But the Star
keeps pushing us to see and do more in its light. The Star wants to make St. Joseph Parish
radiate as brightly as possible as the Dwelling Place of God in our parish
territory.
Is that not why we are organized into the Parish of St.
Joseph? Is that not why we have a
Pastor, a parish staff, councils and organizations and an abundance of human
and material resources? As we ourselves have
done, so we want the neighborhood to “follow the Star” and, overjoyed in seeing
it, to enter the house. In the end, is
this not what God wishes from us, to be the Epiphany of God’s presence and
saving love to ourselves and to the entire neighborhood?
“And the Star . . . came and stopped over the place where
the child was . . . and [they] entering the house . . . did him homage.” St. Joseph Parish is the place for us where
the Star has stopped. Can we join
together as parishioners to create even more excitement to get our neighborhood
to come in? The Star is above us.
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