Why Do We Call Ourselves Catholics?

The Epiphany of the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Two decades have gone by since God woke me up from my deep slumber of spiritual inertness to the splendor of the Catholic faith. Like the dry bones that came to life after hearing the prophet Ezekiel’s prophesy (cf. Ez 37:4-10), the heartbeat of my soul, which had been slowing down to a pulse barely audible to the ears, suddenly regained full vitality when I started reading the teachings of the Church Magisterium, in which the Petrine Church faithfully carried out her maternal duty to “keep” and “feed” me (cf. John 21:15-17, 19:27). The transformation was complete and overpowering. Since then there had not been a dull moment whenever the word of God was proclaimed. The Mass readings of the Epiphany of the Lord are no exceptions.

The mystery never made known to previous generations is now revealed to St. Paul through the “holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Eph 3:5). So we are told in the second reading. What is this mystery all about? Are you saying, Mr. Apostle, that we are privy to a top secret that has remained hidden for thousands of years? Now that you have aroused our curiosity, we really need you to reveal the secret! St. Paul minces no words in telling us the truth: “that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph 3:6).

This is unthinkable! The Gentiles, whose abhorrent customs God did not want the Israelites to conform to, and from whom Israel - God’s own nation - must be set apart (Lev 20:24-26) somehow will be members of the same body, i.e. of the same Church of Christ!

While not fully revealed, the mystery has been alluded to by Isaiah when he foretells the glorious future of Jerusalem, a prefiguration of the Church, in these amazing words: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come…Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of the nurses” (Is 60:1, 4). The Church in God’s plan is catholic. Her catholicity or universality has been foretold by Isaiah.

The Magi story in the gospel reading is often read in conjunction with the “kings and “nations” in Isaiah 60:3 as a reference to the catholicity of the Christian faith[ Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth – the Infancy Narratives, p. 96.]. In celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord, we rejoice not only in learning a “top secret”, but also in knowing that the plan that God, the Father, has made for humanity since time immemorial included not only the Jews but everyone, not only Israel but all nations. We are the Catholic Church – the Church of all nations – a name already in use at the time of St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. 108 A.D.).

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine's Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/

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