One of the often asked questions when it comes to our faith is that “How does God speak to me?”
Or when our lives are overcome with darkness, we will ask in frustration “Why does God not speak to me?”
Oh yes, we have heard it said that God speaks to us when we read the scriptures or when we hear a good homily by a priest.
But God also speaks to us when we pray by giving us emotions and promptings to feel what He wants us to do.
God can also speak to us through others when what they say suddenly enlightens us with so much clarity.
Or that what they do moves us so much that we in turn want to emulate them in their good deeds.
These are just a few ways that God speaks to us and how He gives us signs.
Now as we come to church today, did we “see” how God is speaking to us?
As we walked through the main doors of the church, were we aware that we were walking through the “Holy Doors of Mercy”?
Or as we were coming to church, did we see the shrine of Our Lady?
Yes, God speaks to us in various ways and in many signs, but were we able to “see” how God speaks to us?
Today’s gospel passage is certainly packed with instances of how God spoke and how people responded or reacted.
The first was when a star appeared. Probably many people saw it but only some wise men from the east saw it as a special star that announced the birth of the king of the Jews.
God spoke to king Herod through the wise men but he was perturbed.
God spoke to the chief priests and scribes when Herod enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They had the answer from the prophecies, but they did nothing about it.
So God did speak but there were different responses and reactions.
The wise men followed the star and they were filled with joy when it led them to the infant king and they did Him homage with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
On the other hand, the perturbed king Herod reacted with trickery and an evil plot to use the wise men to find out the whereabouts of the infant king so as to do away with him.
The chief priests and scribes were indifferent to what the prophecies were telling them and they were like “couldn’t be bothered” kind of attitude.
And finally God spoke to the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. They listened and went back to their country by a different way.
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany, which means “revelation”. The birth of Christ was revealed to the whole world, and the wise men from the east, who were non-Jews, received the revelation and they are represented by the three figures in royal robes in the Nativity scene.
If God had spoken and revealed His signs to the world, then it surely means that God had spoken and revealed His signs to His people.
So what has God spoken to us, and what signs did He reveal to us?
For our parish, God has certainly spoken to us when we were designated as one of the pilgrimage churches with the Holy Doors of Mercy for the Year of Mercy.
Already pilgrims are coming to our parish and walking through the Door of Mercy to obtain an indulgence.
They are like the “wise men” from other parishes coming here to experience the mercy of God and to be healed from the wounds of their sins and to make reparation.
And what about us? Let us not be like the chief priests and scribes who knew what the prophecies were saying but did not do anything about it.
Let us go for the talk about the Year of Mercy on the 15th January to find out what it is all so that we will experience the mercy of God and to help others with our experience.
Also we have blessed the shrine of Our Lady on the 1st January and we prayed the Rosary and also prayed for the intentions offered on that day.
But that is only just the beginning. The shrine would be just a marble piece if it is not supported by prayer.
It is by prayers at the shrine that God’s grace and blessing will flow out from the parish and reveal God’s presence to the world.
So it is a call to prayer and devotion to Our Lady and it is up to us to come as a family or in groups to offer prayer and petitions and to experience the merciful love of God that brings forgiveness and healing.
So as in the past God has spoken, so now God is speaking and speaking to us.
Like the wise men, let us see and respond to the signs that God is giving us.
Let us response be: Speak Lord your servant is listening. You have the message of eternal life.