1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

 NEWS FEATURES COMMENTARY SERIES SPECIALS VIDEO STORIES PODCASTS

 Search Sign Up for Newsletter

Support UCA News

Contribute  Get Rewarded 

MENU      ASIAN CATHOLIC DIOCESES DIRECTORY

☰

PHILIPPINES

The Epiphany's lessons of

love and solidarity
As the Philippines marks the 500th anniversary of its Christianity,
we need to focus on love for God's little ones

Latest News
Mary Aileen D. Bacalso, Manila
Updated: January 03, 2021 03:51 AM GMT The Epiphany's
lessons of love and
solidarity
Jan 3, 2021

20 Catholic
missionaries killed in
2020
Jan 2, 2021

Saintly nun serves as

a model of
Trending reconciliation
Jan 2, 2021

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 1/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

As normalcy A 2021 manifesto for

returns, new India's Christian
year to thaw
community
Vietnam-
Jan 2, 2021
Vatican ties
Dec 31, 2020 Pakistani Capuchin
named new bishop of
2 Quetta
Jan 2, 2021
Only a ring
squad could
silence a true In new year, share the
Filipino blessing of your time,
patriot pope writes
Dec 30, 2020 ‘The Adoration of the Magi’ by Edward Burne-Jones (1904). Jan 2, 2021
(Photo: Wikipedia)

3
Share this article :     
Saintly nun
serves as a
model of After the celebration of Christ’s birth and the
reconciliation
Solemnity of Mary on New Year’s Day, the Christian
Jan 2, 2021
world celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany every
Jan. 6. This year it is being celebrated today, on
4
the rst Sunday after the New Year, to give many
A 2021
more people the chance to celebrate it than on a
Commentary
manifesto for
India's weekday.  The Epiphany's
Christian
lessons of love and
community
When I was a child, my parents used to tell me that solidarity
Jan 2, 2021
this day is the end of the Christmas season. Jan 3, 2021

Traditionally, we take down our Christmas tree and A 2021 manifesto for
5
pack our Christmas decorations after the India's Christian
The burning
Hindu Epiphany. In my hometown, this is the day when community
temples of the image of the Baby Jesus is passed around Jan 2, 2021
Pakistan
every house to bless us and to be kissed. Let us build a new
Dec 31, 2020
Myanmar of justice
This practice could have originated from these
and peace
6 words in the Gospel: “And entering into the house, Jan 1, 2021
Let us build a they found the Child with Mary, His Mother and
new New year brings rays
falling down, they adored him.” A Christian feast,
Myanmar of of hope for families of
justice and the day is a celebration of the theophany or the disappeared
peace revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jan 1, 2021
Jan 1, 2021
https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 2/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

Every year, this day comes and goes, but in Mary's lessons in
motherhood
7 comparison with the festive Christmas and New
Jan 1, 2021
Pakistani Year celebrations, it is getting less attention. What
Capuchin is the signi cance of this day? Epiphany means
named new Features
bishop of the revelation or manifestation of God incarnate as
Quetta Jesus Christ.  Saintly nun serves as
Jan 2, 2021 a model of
I recently had the opportunity to talk to a couple of reconciliation

8 friends from the Redemptorist and Carmelite Jan 2, 2021

Pope prays communities.

21-year-old Italian-
for victims of American writes
earthquake in
scripts, music for
Croatia Catholicism in 21st catechetical cartoons
Dec 31, 2020
Century China Jan 1, 2021

9 Read the Mission in The burning Hindu

temples of Pakistan
Argentina
legalizes
Asia Essays Dec 31, 2020
abortion
during rst 14 As normalcy returns,
weeks of Get it Now new year to thaw
pregnancy Vietnam-Vatican ties
Dec 31, 2020 Dec 31, 2020
Rev. Father Ramon Fruto of the Congregation of
The social suicide of
10 the Most Holy Redeemer beautifully recalled that Japan's 'hikikomori'
New year his late mother Epifania, fondly known as Panyang, Dec 28, 2020
brings rays of
was born on Jan. 6. “My mother will celebrate her
hope for
families of birthday in heaven, a perpetual holiday,” he said.  From Our
disappeared Partner
Jan 1, 2021 He added: “The Three Kings’ story is used by La Croix
Matthew to convey a lesson for the Jews of Jesus’ International
time, which remains relevant to the people of our
A different
time. These famous visitors to Bethlehem in the
kind of
story were not kings and were not three. The Christmas
Matthew Gospel does not mention three and
kings. Pope
Francis'
“They were those days of the Magi [the plural of Christmas in
‘magus,’ the root of the word ‘magician’]. In history,
there were astrologers who studied the movement
https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 3/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

of the stars and saw meanings in them. In this Seven ways

to celebrate
case, they indicated the rising of a mighty ruler. Christmas
Hearing of that, Herod was so disturbed. The story
portrays these men coming from the east, so for If God were
the pious Jews they were Gentiles or Pagans. Yet, not love,
whom could
with all their lack of Jewish faith and with all the
distance and the hazards of travel, they just
Incarnation
followed the guidance of the star to where Jesus and a
was and paid him homage.  Theology of

“The pious, religious Jews, blessed with the Old

Testament’s prophesies on the coming of a
redeemer, failed to see the redeemer in their own
neighborhood and to shed their prejudices about
how that redeemer should appear. Later in his
preaching, Jesus would often refer to the inclusion
in his kingdom of those whom pious religious and
prestigious Jews would exclude from God’s
kingdom.” 
Mass on
Asked about the relevance of the story to our Demand –
times, Father Fruto quoted Matthew 8:11-12 that Sunday 3
says: “Many will come from the east and the west
and will nd a place and the banquet of the Sunday
Gospel
kingdom of God with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob re ection
while the natural heirs of the kingdom will be
driven out into the dark.”  Readings of
the Day:
The
Related -
News
Lord, may I
Disappearances Touching reunions always
bring human and brutal deaths seek Your
suffering beyond at Christmas

O God,
make
Only a ring squad New year brings Epiphany
could silence a true rays of hope for
Filipino patriot families of

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 4/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

Holy Name
of Jesus

Those that “religious” Christians might consider

not very religious might gain entrance to the
kingdom ahead of those who are so devout yet
have little regard for justice and solidarity with the
poor and victims of exploitation and injustice. This
is the Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus and the
redeemer not only of the Jews but of all people.
The pious Jews are relegated to the periphery of
the kingdom.

When asked about the Three Kings, Father Fruto

explained that liturgists have transplanted into the
liturgy the reference to Psalm 72:10, which says,
“The kings of Tashis and the Isles shall offer gifts”
and from Isaiah 60:30, 8, which says, “Nations
shall walk by your light and kings by your radiance.
Camels shall ll you, dromedaries from Midian and
Ephah. And all shall come from Sheba bringing
gold and frankincense.” The liturgists added myrrh,
a bitter herb that suggests the bitter Passion of
Jesus the Redeemer.

Father Christian Buenafe, the Carmelite executive

director of the Institute of Spirituality in Asia, said
the core message of the Epiphany is that God
manifests his saving grace for all and not only for
a selected few.

“This year marks 500 years of Christianity in the

Philippines. It is good to re ect and ask ourselves,
what do we manifest as baptized believers and
church workers. Like Christ, we have to become
beacons of light in the midst of the pandemic,
violence, poverty, repression and tyranny. Are we
channels of hope and agents of transformation in
the world? This is an invitation for us Filipino
https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 5/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

Christians to seriously concretize our faith in our

present time. We have to be beacons of light,”
Father Buenafe said.

Listening to the stories of these men of the cloth

makes me realize that the Epiphany is nothing
without a quest — a quest for the Lord made
incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, whose love
for the poor, the deprived, the oppressed, the
alienated and the struggling takes supremacy over
any external pious acts. Imitating Christ will bring
us closer to our treasured aspiration for the
realization of God’s kingdom here on Earth. 

As this biggest Christian country in Asia marks the

500th anniversary of its Christianity in the context
of the pandemic that continues to plague
humanity, we need more than ever to be grounded
by the lessons of the Epiphany — love for and
solidarity with God’s little ones.

Mary Aileen D. Bacalso is president of the

International Coalition Against Enforced
Disappearances (ICAED). The views expressed in
this article are those of the author and do not
necessarily re ect the o cial editorial position of
UCA News.

Support our Catholic journalism

with a contribution of any size
Your contribution will help the Catholic journalists
and editors in UCA News to report news, features,
commentaries, video stories and podcasts on
issues affecting the lives of millions of Catholics
around the world.

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 6/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

Here is a gift of two valuable books as a token

of appreciation to you.
Check your mailbox for links to these PDF/e-
Books.

The Ponti cate Mission in Asia

Church historians The history and
examine the key challenges of
features of Francis' Christianity in Asia,
papacy. especially China and
Japan

Contribute 

 From the Publisher  |  Our Network

YOUR DAILY
NEWSLETTER Enter Your Email
Subscribe

0 Comments

Add a comment...

Facebook Comments plugin

Also Read

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 7/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

Saintly nun Mary's lessons New year brings

serves as a in motherhood rays of hope for
model of families of

Let us build a As normalcy Only a ring

new Myanmar returns, new squad could
of justice and year to thaw silence a true

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 8/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

south asia southeast east asia church &

asia society
india china

Help pakistan
indonesia
malaysia
mongolia
education
health
UCA bangladesh
sri lanka
singapore
south korea
japan
religion

News nepal
philippines
hong kong
culture

Support Asia's east timor features

taiwan
largest network of social justice brunei
Catholic journalists macau commentary
overcoming cambodia
and editors
inequality series
laos
women
Contribute  myanmar video stories
environment
thailand
podcast
Get Rewarded  children
vietnam
politics catholic
Contact Us: dioceses in
asia
support@ucanews.com

South Asia

Social Justice

Southeast Asia

East Asia

Church & Society

features
commentary
series

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 9/10
1/3/2021 The Epiphany's lessons of love and solidarity - UCA News

video stories
podcast
catholic dioceses in asia

our voices
about us
contact us
mission
products &
services
privacy policy
specials
announcement
sign up for uca
newsletters
support uca
news
terms &
conditions

 

 

© Copyright 2021, Union of Catholic Asian News Limited. All rights reserved. Except for any fair dealing permitted under the
Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission.

https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-epiphanys-lessons-of-love-and-solidarity/90847 10/10