The Epiphany of the Lord
Fr. Anthony Le

Have you ever discovered something for better or for worse that changed your life? Probably yes. In my case, when I was young, I'm talking about five or ten years old, I always thought that priest was an angel. You laugh. Because you know we are not. But I did not know then. I saw them most of the time in the sanctuary with a long vestment like this. One day, I discovered them in the restroom and I said: no, it couldn't be too. Yeah, that shattered my childhood fantasy of a priest as an angel. I also discovered something at the age of 10 that really hurt my heart - the death of my mother. For the first time that I knew death was real, so tangible, so terrible that it took a long time to grieve, to mourn the loss. Perhaps you do have those discoveries, existential discoveries, in your life, shatter some imaginations, or really enforce the reality

In our world too, we have so many discoveries that alter really the way in which we live. Perhaps fire is the first discovery that put humanity on a new path. Or modern medicines that we, first in 1928 or 29 when the first antibiotics were discovered. Thanks to that, perhaps 100 million people survived. Or, modern DNA sequencing and all that. All of these discoveries, somehow, one way or another, had a great impact on our life, and we could not return to the old way of living any longer.

In today's gospel, the gospel author presented a case for Jesus, presented a case for marriage between faith and reason, presented a case for marriage between those who believe there is a God, and those who don't believe in him and have been worshiping idols or pagan gods - gentiles. This is a magnificent feast, allowing you and I truly to see what this wise man discovered, what they do, and how they do it, and how they end up returning. First, three wise men, no name coming from the east, totally different from the Israelite people, completely foreign, completely out there. They are not part of God's people; they are not part or associate in any way with these people. They did not know anything. They know nothing about the prophecy that we first read today in the prophet Isaiah chapter 60. By the way, that's the reason why we have camels, because in the gospel nowhere mentions camels and all that. 800 years before the birth of our lord, prophet Isaiah predicted there will be a flock of people from outside come and worship, and they're going to arrive in a caravan with camels with the gifts offered to that great king. These three wise men have no name, they have no name. we don't know the origin other than the east, could be anywhere, could be in Vietnam, probably they could prove me wrong. you go ahead they have no names, interesting, they have no name, it could be you and I, could be anyone who have no idea where God is, what God looks like, what people talk about that kind of God, and they follow the story interesting enough this is a cosmic sign, a star is a cosmic sign. These three wise men they're experts in the field of astronomy, the expert mathematicians, they are experts in the ways in which they live, and they're searching for something far beyond what they could imagine. They followed the star, a cosmic sign, amazing, isn't it?

Now heaven is pointing toward where they should go. This is according to church fathers, representing the human race. We, with the brain given by God, with the ability to know, and to fathom, and to really search out the truth of things. We are longing to know, we are longing and inspired to know, and to follow, whatever that truth leads us. Human reason has the ability to recognize the existence of God. Thanks to the cosmic arrangement of the stars. Amazing, isn't it? This gospel author pointed that out for us, this wise man, knowledgeable man, following the sigh of the star. They go into where? They’re going to encounter Herod, the king of Israelite people. Interesting, amazing, this is the great detail, where all that which we see with our visible eyes won't be enough to verify what is supposed to be known - God made man in that little humble mentor. It took even Herod, all hypocrites, like Pharisees and teachers of the law, to point out the ancient prophecy that he would be born in Bethlehem, that where the king was supposed to be born, our savior was supposed to be born. They did not believe him. they did not believe that was a real prophecy. They look for somebody else. but yet they delivered the message. here's another hint, my dear brothers and sister, natural inquisition of the truth, my leader so far, we need divine revelation, we need divine revelation, the exposure to the divine revelation makes all of that which humanly possible, concretely fulfilled. And this is what it is, the meaning of faith and reason, the meeting of gentiles and people God has chosen to live out the faith, now they're coming together. they're pointing toward one central location, the child Jesus where he was born, and what amazing encounter happens.

Oh, my goodness, the wise man now arrived, they saw a humble simple family - Mary and Joseph, bunch of shepherds, filthy ugly looking, maybe probably cranky, yet they worship their postured, and they offer three magnificent gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all expensive, valuable. Interesting, isn't it? my dear brothers and sister, now finally they encounter the one that has been calling them all along. This is the true king. And the most magnificent part of this is that they worship him, they acknowledge him, and they embrace him. Human reason now has found its ultimate reason to exist, the discovery of the almighty god. Who had made himself visible in the human form? We’re no longer speculating about the numbers, we're no longer speculating about what the stars are showing us, we now concretely, visibly, embrace him., behold him with our naked eyes, almighty. Brothers and sisters, couldn't be a better gift than that they thought they offered Jesus a gift, no, God had offered them a true gift. God had offered them a true gift. What they offered him is only the acknowledgement, and everything they got at that moment. What a divine exchange. And the most magnificent lesson we should learn from this is, my dear brothers and sisters, with all the modern technologies, all the fancy things that we discovered or invented so far can lead us so far in the search for divine life.

We already have been given a gift; a divine revelation of God made man. We are here today because we believe in him, we are here today because we accept him as our lord and savior. Together with the three wise men, women and children of our ages, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the moment we're going back into our life like the three kings, the three wise men. did they go back to Herod? no, they did not. they went back on a different path. if we accepted Jesus, if we accepted his divine revelation, if he accepted his teaching, his love, and, mercy, we won't ever want to go back on the same path. The practical son returned home is no longer the same man, the woman caught in adultery and counted Jesus never returned the same path, the Samaritan woman exposed to divine life never went back to her old way, sinful way of living. no, she became an evangelist. Matthew became an evangelist, Paul became an evangelist, John became an evangelist. All the disciples of Jesus, who dared to accept him, who dared to encounter him, who dared to correct their life, return on a new path. oh, my brothers and sisters, the world is going to be a better place because of that. we, men and women of faith, let's return with God in our heart, in our family on a new path. this amazing manifestation of our lord to all the magi, to all those three wise men, three kings, let him manifest to us once and for all. This should be our greatest discovery. Therefore, our life will be better off. I pray that our community too, because of you, because of our lord, because of our faith, will be a beacon of hope, love, and faith here, and elsewhere

真理拥抱了信仰与科学

我相信每一个人在他生命的过程中，都会碰到一些事情，让他对事物的看法做出基本上的改变。对我而言，在我五岁到十岁之间，我一直认为神父是一个天使。这很可笑，但我当时确实是认为他们是天使。因为在教堂里，我总是看到他们穿着庄严、美丽的白衣。有一天，我在洗手间碰到了神父，我说：「不，这是不可能的。」从此就打破了我这个童年的幻想。在我十岁时，发生了一件让我心痛的事－我母亲的死。我第一次知道死亡是真实的，如此有形，如此可怕。我花了很长时间去悲伤，为失去母亲而哀悼。也许你也有相似的经历。如此实在、深刻的经验，粉碎了你的想像，强化了你对于现实的体验。世界上有许多发明，彻底的改变了我们的生活。火可能是第一个让人类走上新道路的发明，西元1928年，发明了抗生素，让ㄧ 亿人幸存下来。现代有DNA 测序的发明…等等，有许多发明对我们的生活产生了巨大的影响，再也不能回到旧的生活方式了。

在今天的福音中，天主以耶稣的诞生，提出了一个信仰与科学(理性)结合的例子，一个相信有天主的人，和那些崇拜偶像的外邦人，结合在天主下的一个例子。这就好像一场婚礼，一个盛宴，让你和我看这些外来的智者，发现了什么，做了什么，如何做到的，又是如何归去的。首先，三位无名的智者，来自东方。这三位外来的陌生人，与以色列人完全不同。他们不是天主子民，没有与天主联系，什么都不知道。他们对依撒意亚先知书第 60 章中读到的预言也一无所知。在我们的主诞生前 800 年，先知依撒意亚预言，将会有一群人从外面来敬拜才诞生的犹太人君王。他们乘着骆驼车队，带着献给这位伟大君王的礼物来敬拜祂。这三位智者没有名字，也不知道他们住在哪里。只知道他们从东方来。我猜他们可能住在越南，你们也可以尝试证明他们不是从越南来的。 很有趣，他们没有名字。他们可能就是你和我，也可能是任何不知道天主在哪里，长什么样子，但是有兴趣谈论天主的人。让我们关注这段福音。这个故事与天文学有关。星星是宇宙星座的一部分，这三位智者是天文学的专家，专业的数学家，当时代顶尖的科学家。他们的生活就是研究星星。不停的寻找在宇宙星座中新奇的东西。他们追寻星星，一个宇宙的标志，不是很神奇有趣吗？

天主用星星指导他们该去的地方。我们拥有天主创造的大脑，有能力去了解、理解和寻找事物的真相。我们渴望知道，受到启发，去了解并遵循真理来引导我们。是的，科学(理性)有能力承认天主的存在。天文学家，由于星星的的移动，有能力来承认天主的存在。很神奇！不是吗？ 福音指出这些知识渊博的聪明人，跟着天上的星星走。他们去哪里呢？他们首先遇到以色列王黑落德。这一个有趣的细节告诉我们，天主启示给我们的，超过我们用肉眼看到的。 黑落德、伪君子、法利赛人和法律教师，知道以色列800年前依撒意亚先知的预言，君王将出生在伯利恒。他们虽然不相信，但却传递了这个讯息。 另一点是，天文学家以顶尖的科学来寻找救主，并且见到了黑落德，听到预言得知救主应在伯利恒出生。这是天主的启示，唯有在天主的启示下，人类科学研究的努力才能够具体实现。信仰和科学的合一，东方三博士—外邦人和天主选民—以色列人，共同的、具体的，指向一个中心，即将出生的孩子耶稣，这是多么令人惊奇的相遇。 智者们看到了一个简单的家庭—玛利亚和若瑟，一群牧羊人，肮脏、简陋的马槽，就在那里，天主在马槽中诞生了。他们崇拜他，递上了三种贵重的礼物，黄金、乳香和没药。这是不是很有趣呢？ 亲爱的兄弟姐妹，贤士们终于遇到了一直在召唤他们的人。真正的君王。他们崇拜他，承认他，拥抱他。科学发现了全能的天主，以人类的形式出现，找到了存在的意义。我们不必再精研数字，我们不必再猜测星星向我们展示了什么。我们可以具体地，公开的，拥抱我们的救主。用我们的肉眼看到他，他是全能的。兄弟姐妹，没有比这更好的礼物了。

贤士们给了耶稣一份礼物，天主给了贤士们一份真正的礼物。他们给他的只是承认，以及他们在那一刻所有的一切。天主给他们的，却是天主自己。多么神圣的交流。亲爱的兄弟姐妹，我们从中学到的最重要的是，借着现代技术，从我们发现或发明的所事物中，都可以领我们寻找到神圣的生命。 我们获得了一份礼物，是天主给予人的神圣启示。我们今天在这里是因为我们相信他，我们今天在这里是因为我们接受他为我们的主，救世主。我们都是这个时代的贤士、智者和儿童。亲爱的兄弟姐妹们，我们现在就是要学习三王、贤士的时刻。他们回到黑落德王那里了吗？不，他们没有。他们走了不同的道路。 如果我们接受了耶稣，他的神圣启示，他的教义、他的爱和仁慈，我们就永远不会走回同样的道路上。浪荡的儿子归家后，就不再是同一个人，奸淫的女人再也没有回到原来的道路。圣神感动后的撒玛利亚女人，再也没有回到她原来罪恶的生活方式。不，她成了福音传道者。玛窦成了福音传道者，保禄成了福音传道者，若望成了福音传道者。 耶稣所有的门徒，凡是遇到他，明认他，接受他的，都悔改重生踏上新的道路。兄弟姐妹们，世界将因此而变得更加美好。让我们这些有信仰的男女们，将天主放回我们的心中，住在我们的家中，走出一条全新的路。

主啊！你既然向东方来的三王以及贤士们显示了你自己，请你也再次向我们显示。这将是我们能拥有的，最伟大的时刻。我们的生命会更好。我期望我们的社区也因为您，因为我们的主，因为我们的信仰，将在这里和其他所有的地方，成为希望、爱和信仰的灯塔