January 4, 2026 Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (Fr. Eric Tellez)
Each one of us here has talent. Another word we might use for is we have a gift. And many times those gifts or talents can be easily recognized. For many years, we've had the singing angels, children's music ministry that sings once a month at a different mass. And one child every year or two throughout the year are chosen to lead the response or your song sung just like today from that amble.
Speaker 2:And children come up with great courage, and they sing amazingly. Some years you've clapped because you've been overwhelmed. So what courage these children have, and we would say you have a gift. For others of you, you're gifted in numbers, and you're good with numbers, and we'll be talking to you before April 15. For others, you are good at managing people.
Speaker 2:Others have great organizational skills. Whether you can do big events, things, or reorganize your closet, that's your gift. And in that, you might be recognized. Now sometimes you and I have gifts or talents that aren't recognized for a long time until there's a challenge in life. Maybe gifts come in a most crisis moment or important time.
Speaker 2:My example would be my sister as well, I have five sisters, one brother, and my parents are a lot older now, and they need a lot more intention. She runs a restaurant in Flagstaff, but we didn't know she could do this. She is a medical expert. One, she knows how to pronounce all medicines there are. And she knows their effect, but she takes care of my parents' schedule, and all the things that my family, my other sisters, and the in laws take care of that.
Speaker 2:She is so organized, but what she says about medicine, taking it on time, what the effects are, she's the expert. That's her gift, and she's the last person we thought she could do that. And think about times when you and I have gifts that aren't recognized for a long time, but maybe one day they're appreciated. Sometimes our own family or friends never see our gifts and talents because they don't acknowledge that or look for it. We've been a church for two thousand years, and in that with all the messages of scripture, we are still an institution that have people on the inside, and other people we call outsiders.
Speaker 2:Insiders are people who follow the laws, who are pretty good people because they show up to church, to mass. They even use parish envelopes, And we might even say, oh you're a good Catholic, or a good Christian, because you're on the inside. You get it. And then what do we do people who may struggle with understanding institution, struggle with God, and maybe don't fit in community at times because of pain or hurt, or they have other interests? Those things happen.
Speaker 2:And you know, we treat them as outsiders, and we might even call them, oh, you're not a good Catholic. Or at Christmas and Easter, we say, you're taking my pew or parking spot, How did we get to a point in the gospel that we have to be people that still use outsiders, strangers, even foreigners, when the epiphany is a feast that God reveals himself to all nations and to all people. I want to present to you four points about the feast of the epiphany, and what that tells us about insiders and outsiders. First of all, God reveals himself to the outsiders who are the Mangai. The Mangai's are not Jews.
Speaker 2:They don't live in the nation of Israel at that time. They are not religious authority or experts. They are outsiders. As the song says, they come from afar. And they are the ones to first recognize Christ.
Speaker 2:The people who should have known better were totally blind to it. The so called insiders did move a muscle. They weren't convinced. They weren't moved, and yet it took outsiders, foreigners, strangers to come. And here's the thing we need to remember.
Speaker 2:Foreigners were welcomed by God to the manger scene. Foreigners were welcomed by god to the manger. What does that say about us, outsiders, insiders, strangers, foreigners. Well, I think that challenges us to look at what we're doing in our lives. The second thing, the mangi crossed boundaries with trust, not fear.
Speaker 2:They crossed boundaries with trust, not fear. They leave their land. They leave what's familiar, and take a long distance. Again, traveling was very dangerous at that time, and they relied on the kindness and hospitality of strangers. King Herod meets with them with violence, with fear, with saying you don't belong, And in fact, we call what is called the holy innocence that he is so fearful of losing power that he kills every child two years and under.
Speaker 2:He meets with fear and distrust, and you don't belong. And yet Epiphany says, god reveals himself to all nations. The third thing is outsiders recognize Christ when insiders do not. Look at this. The religious authorities that were there were visited, and they said, yeah, let's take a look at the Bible.
Speaker 2:It says in Bethlehem. Yeah, you know, that's way out in the sticks. Nothing good comes from Bethlehem, because I don't know why they think a ruler is there, but that's what it says. So just follow the stars. Why don't you report back what's going on?
Speaker 2:Because they are not even moved, and they should know better. They know that Christ is coming, and yet they do nothing. Herod knows. Other Jews and other people living at that time do not recognize Christ. They're not even aware the child king is born.
Speaker 2:The ones who should know, who have all the facts, all the knowledge, all the understanding, or at least they think they do, do not recognize. Do not move a muscle. Do not meet Christ where he's at. And finally, epiphany reveals itself to a universal family. Everyone matters.
Speaker 2:I was a busboy at Little America in Flagstaff for five summers working my way through the seminary. So I know a little bit about the restaurant business. Also worked at a at a burger chef up there. So food has been my specialty. And so I'm aware of all that goes in into the restaurant or food industry business.
Speaker 2:And here's what they used to tell us a long time ago. It was this, service completes the task. Hospitality honors the person. Service completes the task. Hospitality honors the person.
Speaker 2:There's so many Christian communities including Saint Patrick's that thinks we do hospitality well. And what a lot of churches do is they pat themselves on the back and say, aren't we the most friendliest place around? Nobody has better donuts and coffee than we do. And those things are not real hospitality. The dignity of every person matters.
Speaker 2:And not using language, which we Catholics love to do, to make people feel outside that they don't belong, that they're not living up to a standard. And we've done that for two thousand years because we, the insiders, do not recognize Christ. We do not recognize the gifts of those who come to us. Stranger, outsider, foreigner. And so epiphany teaches us this, that everyone has dignity as a human being, and should never be denied.
Speaker 2:No one culture has the completeness of God. In other words, God doesn't belong to one culture. And true hospitality in honoring the person is not being indifferent to people's dignity and suffering and when rights are violated. As I watch you, some of you have gifts that are recognized, and your heads went up and down and go, I'm good at that. I am good.
Speaker 2:No one's better than me than that. Yeah. It's part of having good pride. But others of you are like, you know what? My gifts are not appreciated or recognized.
Speaker 2:I am really good at that, but my family doesn't trust me on that. They don't see that. My friends don't acknowledge it. My church, my community, my neighborhood, my school does not appreciate the gifts I have, and that's why we feel like an outsider, a stranger, a foreigner. And so to those who feel that way, I can't help you right now other than I hope that you know you matter to God and that you have gifts that the church needs to do better job in not using language that makes you an outsider, a foreigner, a stranger.
Speaker 2:Out here, there are a bunch of you who are called to be like my sister, and know all how to pronounce all the medicines that are out there. Because you have gifts that not everyone knows. And so I invite you to think, how do we, as God's people, treat foreigners, strangers, outsiders? Because here's what we can't deny. God welcomed foreigners, the mangi, to the manger scene.
Speaker 2:What does that mean for us as a country, as a people, as a community?