Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on Wednesday after Epiphany; 8 Jan 2025, DBPH Chapel Talamban

Today is Wednesday after the Feast of the Epiphany. We continue to come to this chapel to pay homage to the newborn King. And as we gaze at the baby Jesus, we continue to ponder on what this holy child would be. The gospel passage we have heard today presents Jesus as someone who has incredibly supernatural powers. If you recall yesterday we realized how Jesus would not only nourish the people by preaching God’s Word to them but he would also feed them with material food by miraculously multiplying the five loaves and two fish. Today’s gospel story presents Jesus could even walk on the turbulent waters of Lake Galilee.

Actually this process of revelation already began last Sunday with the visit of the magi to the manger. Their gifts of gold and frankincense manifest Jesus to be both a great King and a High Priest respectively, but the other gift which was myrrh also revealed him to be a man born to die in order to save his people from their sins.

These past days, the process of epiphany or revelation continues. Jesus is being manifested to us as someone both human and divine. As human, he can sense the hunger of our bodies; he can also sense when we are terrified and overcome by the fear of impending evil. And so he promptly comes to our aid and assures us not to be afraid. As divine Jesus has amazing powers over anything beyond our control. As he can multiply bread and fish a thousand times by simply blessing them, so he can also walk steadily on the turbulent waters of the sea and even command the winds and the waves to calm down and be still.

Last Saturday, I officiated a wedding in Cavite. However, on the wedding day itself, just around three hours prior to the Mass the bride met a freak accident. While posing for the photo shoot, she suddenly twisted her left knee causing her to fall on the ground. Upon seeing her left knee dislodged, they immediately rushed her to the nearest Emergency Room. The pain she felt on her knee filled her heart with fear and worry. “What would become of the wedding?”

Luckily the x-ray result showed that there was no bone fracture. But after her knee was put back to its normal position and wrapped with braces and bandages, other questions began popping up in the bride, “Would I still be able to walk down the aisle?” Or “Would I be needing a wheelchair or crutches?”

The good news is that the Lord heard everybody’s prayer. After an extended hour of waiting, when the church door finally opened, she stunned everyone with her beauty as the bride struggled to stand on both feet in her splendid wedding gown. Assisted by her two bridesmaids, her elder siblings, she was able to walk down the aisle to meet her bridegroom. Then the solemn celebration began. Believe it or not, after the Mass, she even managed to dance during the reception, first with her Dad, then in the arms of her bridegroom .

How was all that made possible? Through prayer! Yes, prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer has been the secret weapon of Jesus that empowered him to multiply bread and fish, and to command the forces of nature at sea to obey. It is important for us to take notice that after the multiplication of the loaves and fish, and before being able to walk on the water, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer, absorbed in his “ME time” with the Father. Therefore we can be confident in the HOPE that this year’s most difficult challenges will be overcome and surpassed only for as long as we allow Jesus to come into our hearts, into our homes and in all our endeavours. And we can do this only through prayer. By prayer I mean not just the mumbling of words, but a constant and trust-filled conversation with the Lord and an uninterrupted connectivity with the Father.

May this Eucharist inspire us and empower us to face this Jubilee Year as pilgrims of hope, not with fear but rather with faith. Knowing Jesus more deeply, let us allow him to hop into the “boats” of our hearts so we could experience his amazing power at work in us. GiGsss!

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