The challenge of Revelation!

WORD 2day: Thursday after Epiphany

January 06, 2022: 1 John 4:19 - 5: 4; Luke 4: 14-22

This day is celebrated as Epiphany, the great solemnity of the Revelation of Christ to humanity - but in those places where Epiphany has been celebrated already on Sunday, the Word continues to challenge us, deepening the reflection on the nature of the Revelation of God to humanity!

The whole week that runs from the Epiphany Sunday to the Baptism Sunday, is a series of reflection on the revelation that Jesus Christ brings to humanity about God and the Reign of God. Every day the Gospel presents to us, during this week, a remarkable revelation handed over to us by Christ in his earthly sojourn - think of the calming of the storm, the multiplication of loaves etc... and today a clear and straightforward revelation: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me; and the Reign of God is at hand!

While the Gospel readings progressively present these marvellous deeds of revelation, the first reading from the first letter of St. John presents to us the treatise on true Christian Integral Love - the love of God and love of neighbour which are one and the same! There is a strong message that the Church wishes to present to us in this combination: the revelatory deeds in the Gospel and the treatise on love from St. John... and the message is, Love is the crux of all revelations!

The challenge of Revelation rests in understanding the love of God and deciding to respond to it in all earnestness. But our prejudices, suggestions of the society, the conventions of the culture, and the so-called trends of the times, may prevent us from really beholding the revelation of God, that comes at times in incredibly simple and concrete ways. The challenge is to keep our eyes open and to choose to love each other towards fullness of life for all, which is the Reign of God revealed in Christ.