ARISE, SHINE OUT - C: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (5 Jan 2025)

First Reading: Isa 60:1-6 (5 January 2025)

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (NRSV Isa 60:1).

This is the usual translation of the first verse of our First Reading today. It is based on the Hebrew Masoretic Text that features the phrase kumi ’ori. Both Hebrew verbs here are in the imperative mood, bidding the audience “to arise” or “to stand up” (kumi) and “to be a light” (’ori). The obvious meaning of this passage is that the prophet is inviting the people to stand up from their places and brighten up their spirits for the Lord their God has begun to shine on them.

The Greek Septuagint version of this passage, however, slightly differs: photizou photizou, Ierousalem, hekei gar sou to phos. This text varies from Hebrew by dropping the verb “to arise” and inserting the city of Jerusalem, which is put in the vocative case. The Brenton Septuagint Translation renders it in English: “Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come.”

The repercussions of this translation are two-fold. First, it emphasizes the role of the Greek verb phaino, which may point to one of the following “to shine or to produce light, shine,” “to become visible, appear,” or “to become known, be recognized, be apparent, be revealed” (cf. BDAG). Second, it specifies to whom this challenge is directed, i.e., to the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem. In a way, the Jerusalemites are enjoined by Isaiah to put into bright light everything—inclusive of their worries, fears, and failures—and embark on being hopeful collectively amidst the darkness that has enveloped them for a long time.

While the translation “Arise, shine…” stands to be the more widely used rendition (e.g., King James Bible, New American Standard Version, and English Revised Version), there is a lot to learn, too, from Brenton’s “Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem”. Underscored here is the communal responsibility of the citizens of Jerusalem to put to light everything, especially matters that are long hidden in the dark. While the act of illumination may be practically attributed only to select individuals who are gifted with the skill of administration, intelligence, and eloquence, the task of elucidation, clarification, and open knowledge is the responsibility of all the inhabitants.

In Philippine society, Filipinos have long been deprived of the true information of the things happening in the political realm. Many government leaders are secretive about how they operate in managing public funds entrusted to them. Corruption continues to haunt all levels of the bureaucracy and this corrupt system will persist unless more and more impartial investigations are unearthed. We also long for more crusaders who would not be scared of confronting the horror of darkness, but be persistently motivated in bringing to the fore anomalies committed in the past. More importantly, we need a populace that is bold in expressing publicly their discontent being laid in the dark for many generations. In practical terms, we need a voting population that is intent in ending the reign of darkness in our land.

Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Philippines. We pray that every eligible Filipino will soon cast a vote for leaders who are true advocates of light, attuned to the bright light given by Christ Jesus.

- Rex Fortes, CM