Mamangkujanu
This weekend we celebrate
the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, otherwise known as the arrival of
the three wise men. The Gospel tells us that the three Wise Men made a long
journey in order to see the child. Among us, there are some people who are
also getting ready for a journey, a pilgrimage of faith to Sydney to meet
with the Holy Father, the Pope.
This week the men have been
out for law and, as I understand, some young men have been “taken” to be
initiated. This is very close to our Gospel today. The Wise Men allowed
themselves to be guided by a star. We all need to guided to Jesus. For this
reason it is important to learn to see the signs with which God is calling
us and guiding us. When we know that God is leading us, our hearts are full
of peace and joy, even when the trip may be long and difficult. I think that
one of the contributions Aboriginal Culture can make to the life of the
Church in Australia is that strong sense of initiation.
The Wise Men found Jesus at
Bethlehem which means “house of bread”. This may help us understand why it
is important to find Jesus. We all need food and water. Jesus himself said
that he is the bread of life. He is the only one who can really make us
strong. He knows what is in us. He knows our pain and knows that we are
looking for him, even if we are not aware of it.
“Opening their treasures the
offered him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. With gold, they recognized
Jesus as God; with incense they acknowledged him as priest; and by giving
him myrrh they pointed at Jesus’ shedding of his blood.
Let us also offer Jesus the
gold of our lives, that is our freedom to follow him out of love; let the
incense of our prayer rise up to him; let us offer him our myrrh, that is
our affection of total gratitude to him because he loved us to the end, that
is his death.
I would like to invite
everyone not to believe in false illusions and passing laughter which often
leave behind sadness and emptiness. We must help one another to reject those
things which do not lead us to Jesus. The Gospel tells us that the Wise Men
went back home by another way. Their meeting with Jesus changed their lives
and they no longer walked the path they had walked before. This is what
conversion means. This is what all the saints have lived.
As Pope John Paul II said to
the young people, the Church needs genuine witnesses to spread the Good
News: men and women whose lives have been changed by meeting with Jesus. The
Church needs saints. Are they to be found in Balgo, Mulan and Billiluna?
