The Epiphany of the Lord – Jan. 8, 2023
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3a; 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12.
Theme: Jesus is the Epiphany of God, and You are Called to be the Epiphany of Jesus
Today, we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. From its
Greek origin: epi, “on, upon”, and phaino, “to appear, to shine”,
the word “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “shining upon” the world. In
other words, Epiphany is the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus. The
early Church identified three specific events which reveal Jesus’ divine nature,
and the modern Lectionary and liturgical calendar maintain them together.
First, the visit of the Magi that we celebrate today; second, the Baptism of the
Lord which is generally observed on the Sunday after Epiphany but this year it is
scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, January 9th; and third, the
following Sunday (the second Sunday in Ordinary Time) always has either a
Gospel passage of the Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-11) or John the Baptist’s
testimony to Jesus, the section that comes right before the Wedding at Cana (John
1: 29-42).
In this feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the
self-manifestation of God through the Infant Jesus. In our Gospel, Matthew informs
us that the Magi (the three wise men from the East) were led by the star (the
light from above) to the place where the Newborn King was. Prophet Isaiah, in
the first reading, tells of the light shining forth from Jerusalem attracting
peoples from near and far, from land and sea. Saint Paul, in today’s second
reading, teaches the Ephesians that they and all the Gentiles are members of
the same body of Christ.
Matthew commences this Gospel account of the birth of
Jesus by mentioning Bethlehem, King Herod, and the magi. (Matthew 2: 1-2). The
explanation of these three names will help us to better understand the
theological meaning of our Gospel passage. First, “Bethlehem of Judea”, the
birthplace of Jesus, is the place where David was anointed as king. (1 Samuel
16: 1-13). So, by mentioning “Bethlehem of Judea” here, the evangelist wants to
confirm that Jesus is from the line of David. Therefore, this newborn is the
Messiah foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. Second, Herod was
appointed by the Roman senate to rule Judea in 40 B.C. The Jewish historian
Josephus reports that he was a brutal tyrant. He executed large numbers of
political opponents including his own family members. The primary goal of his
life was to maintain his power. That is why he was constantly vigilant against
possible threats to it, particularly from those who pretended to fulfill the
royal prophecies foretold by the prophets. Herod was extremely paranoid to the
level that all people feared him. My assumption in the context of our Gospel is
that the people in Herod’s city and court were not pleased with the arrival of
the magi insofar as their interpretation of a king who was born among the Jews
would provoke Herod’s paranoia. And when Herod’s paranoia enflamed, people
would die. Third, the magi were learned men, academics, or scientists of their
time. They studied astronomy which was not distinct from astrology in
antiquity. As astronomical phenomena were identified with historical events,
the magi were the ones to bring interpretations. Matthew reports an
astronomical event around the time of Jesus’ birth and the interpretation of
the three magi which indicates a new royal line among the Jews.
In this Gospel passage, Matthew tells us that the first persons
to whom the divinity of Jesus was revealed were not the insiders from the
Jewish community but the foreign magi who came from the east. This illustrates
the universalism of God’s revelation. Prophet Isaiah, in our first reading,
already prophesied that caravans of camels shall fill Jerusalem; all from Sheba
shall come bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the
Lord. (Isaiah 60: 6). Also, Saint Paul, in our second reading, confirms this
universalism of God’s revelation when he says that through the Gospel, the
Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise
in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3: 6). Today, God continues to reveal himself to all
people from different backgrounds. The Church is the visible sign of God’s
revelation as it welcomes people from all nations.
Matthew speaks of the star that guided the magi to the
place where the new King Jesus was born. To see and know God, we must go to
Jesus who is the Epiphany of his Father. So, we need to find our star, the
light from above, who can lead us to him. Our Gospel says that the three wise
men came from afar, meaning that they did a long journey to discover where the newborn
King is born. No doubt they were tired, but they did not give up. They
faithfully followed the star. You and I are these three magi. Our earthly life
is a long journey going to Jesus who reveals to us who God is. We need revelatory
stars that lead us to Jesus. And once we find them, we need to follow their
guidance faithfully.
The celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) is the first and
greatest star that draws us closer to our Lord. During Mass, Jesus reveals God
to us. When we attend Mass, we take part in the heavenly banquet; we sit at the
same table with Christ; we hear him when he speaks to us through the Scripture
readings, and he hears us when we lift up our petitions, prayers, and songs to
him. At the celebration of the Eucharist, we touch Jesus through the Holy
Communion that we receive, and we become one with him. Mass is the star that
leads us to Jesus. Bible sharing/study is another star that shows us the way to
Jesus. Saint Jerome said that ignoring the Scripture is ignoring Jesus. If we
want to go to Jesus and know him, we need to open our Bibles and read them. I
lead Bible sharing every Wednesday at 7:00 pm virtually via zoom. Starting this
Wednesday, January 11th, 18th, and 25th, I
will teach a 3-day Bible Study Class. You can attend in person or online. I
encourage us to become familiar with reading the Bible at home. The Bible is a
good star that guides us to Jesus. There are many more stars that we should
also use as our guides such as Church ministries (choir, lector, Eucharist
Ministers, catechists, Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils, Men club, Ladies
of Alter Society, Ladies of Auxiliary, Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry, Usher/Security,
and all commissions and committees). When we serve God in these ministries and
committees, we strengthen our relationship with God.
The path of the magi did one stop in Herod’s territory. The
magi revealed to everyone that they are in search of the newborn king of the Jews
because they saw his star at its rising. When Herod heard the news about the
Newborn King Jesus, he was greatly troubled. Matthew tells us that “all
Jerusalem” was troubled right along with him (Mt 2: 2-3). That was not good
news for Herod who did not want anyone to threaten his power. As I mentioned
above, Herod was extremely paranoid. He had such control over his subjects that
they were too afraid to show any disloyalty to him. When Matthew says that all people
in Jerusalem were afraid along with Herod, this does not mean that they worry
about the power of their king Herod. Rather, the people worried about their
peace. They knew that when Herod is distressed, people would die. Herod
represents all those who take comfort in the darkness and fear the light. They
are those who do not accept Jesus to be the king of their lives. We must
abandon all the works of darkness and come to the light as prophet Isaiah
exhorts us to in our first reading.
When the Magi encountered the newborn Jesus, they
prostrated themselves, did him homage, and offered him the presents of gold
(meaning that Jesus is a King), frankincense (Jesus is a higher Priest), and
myrrh (predicting the death and resurrection of Jesus). The gestures of the
Magi and the meaning of their presents are found in the liturgy of the
Eucharist. At Mass, we come to praise Jesus our Lord, the king of the universe.
He is the Higher Priest who celebrates his own Mass through the human priest.
And Mass itself is the celebration of the Paschal ministry, which is the
commemoration of Jesus’ Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
After experiencing the “Epiphany of our Lord”, in their
mystical contact with Jesus, the Maggi departed for their country in another
way, avoiding the way that would lead them back to Herod who had no intention
to bow down before Jesus but rather to kill him. During the liturgy of the
Mass, there is a mystical encounter that occurs between us and Jesus which
provokes in us a metanoia, “conversion”. That is why, at the end of the
Mass, being transformed, we are called to return to our homes using a different
way, which is the way of conversion. We abandon our old life and start a new
one with Jesus.
Jesus, the star of our lives, is the Epiphany of God. He
draws us closer to God. As his followers, we are called to be the stars for our
brothers and sisters. We must help them see Jesus and come closer to him
through our Christian lives. Amen.
Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD
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