ALL ARE DRAWN TO THE LORD

The readings...

"All shall be gathered to come and praise the Lord." [Is. 60:1-6]

"All people are called to become fellow heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." [Eph. 3:2-3, 5-6]

"As the wise men, the faithful are guided to the Lord to kneel before Him and pay homage." [Mt. 2:1-12]

The homily...

Brothers and sisters, today, we are gathered together to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. This Feast has been established by the Catholic Church to remind us of the day when the three wise men visited the humble house of Jesus. The three wise men were the first among many to come and visit Jesus in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that "all shall be gathered to come and praise the Lord." [Is. 60:1-6]

Since that day, we as new creations of God who are called to become fellow heirs, all being members of the same Body and sharers in the promise that is found in Jesus Christ through the Gospel, [Eph. 3:2-3, 5-6] have continuously been guided to the Lord to come and kneel before Him and to humbly pay homage. [Mt. 2:1-12] Our presence here today is a confirmation that the prophecy of Isaiah continues to be fulfilled 2,000 years later as it was in the days of the three wise men.

What draws someone to the Lord? What makes one get out of bed early on Sunday mornings to go and worship the Lord when he could have slept in?

Many answers can be given as to why we have come to worship the Lord. Some came in thanksgiving for having received life. Some came to give thanks for their weekly blessings, asking for Divine Providence in the week to come. Some came for their assurance of salvation. Some came because of their love for Jesus, being drawn to spend time with Him before the Most Holy Tabernacle. Some came to fellowship as their way of expressing their Christian love towards others. And same come because the Holy Spirit impelled them to be here. They lacked something in their lives and were guided by the power of the Holy Spirit towards the Church to find the spiritual food and strength that they need to persevere in life.

Considering all these possibilities, all these answers are synonym to one another. All are drawn to the Lord, seeking the joy and peace that the soul hungers for in today's life and the eternal life to come.

Through these reasons, all come to the realization that there is something mysterious about being drawn towards the Lord. Where there is persecution, the faithful find peace in Jesus. Where there is disharmony, they find comfort in Jesus. Where there is financial difficulty, in Jesus, they find assurance of Divine Providence for their basic needs. Where there is addictions or illnesses, the faithful find hope of recovery. Where there is rejection by those around, the faithful find acceptance in Jesus.

As can be seen, in Jesus, there is an endless treasure of blessings to be found that can meet all of our needs no matter what they are. These blessings are joy, peace, love, comfort, compassion, forgiveness, true friendship, the truth, guidance, the light, all these coming from the One and only Good Shepherd. As the Good Shepherd holds His Lamb in His arms, He holds our spirit in His arms and says, "Don't worry My child... Rest in Me... Trust in Me... Allow Me to attend to your needs."

Why are we drawn to the Lord Jesus? It is because once we have tasted His abounding Divine love for whatever need we had in the past or continue to have today, we cannot do without it. In Jesus, in He who knows you better than anyone else, even our family members, we find Heavenly peace on earth. We taste the joy and peace that awaits us in eternal life.

Having found this love, it is no wonder that like the wise men, we come before the Lord, kneel before Jesus and pay Him homage in thanksgiving. Like the wise men who were rich, we realize that the true richness of life is only found in Jesus. Worldly wealth cannot buy enduring joy, peace, love, comfort, compassion, forgiveness, true friendship, etc...

That my brothers and sisters in Jesus is why we are drawn towards the Lord... to continue to feed on the eternal love of His Most Holy Name. That is why we return to the Church week after week, because we crave for Divine love.

So powerful is Divine love that even those who rarely come to Church, are drawn on certain occasions. They keep returning to the Church to receive the Sacraments, to have their children baptised, to confess their sins, to receive Holy Communion, to be married within the Church, to gather for the celebrations of Christmas and Easter.

How wonderful the love of God is, drawing us to come and praise Him! Eternal is His love!

Total: 772 words.

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