Epiphany of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, popularly thought as the Feast of the Three Kings. The latter though involved are not the star of this feast but Jesus, the Word Incarnate, the object of their search.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#528) the Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world. This great feast of Epiphany unites three great events in the life of Christ when His divinity is made manifest through the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.

The Gospel of St. Matthew relates that “Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him’ (Mt 2:1-2).”

Pope Francis says that according to tradition, the wise men were sages, watchers of the constellations, observers of the heavens, in a cultural and religious context which saw the stars as having significance and power over human affairs.

St. Matthew continued that, “After their audience with the king, they set out. The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house, found the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their coffers and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mt 2: 9-12).”

Biblical commentaries often see symbolic meanings in the specific gifts: gold as a gift for a king (in the Old Testament gold also was used in the sanctuary where God dwelt among His people), the Frankincense was for deity (as the sacrifices in the Old Testament were incensed with it), and the myrrh was a preparation for His suffering.

Epiphany invites each one of us to imitate the wise men in their courage to follow the light of the star for it will lead us to Jesus. When we seek the Lord with sincere hearts, He will let us find Him. Like the wise men, we will also be overjoyed at finding him. In this Epiphany of the Lord, we are called to enter His house and do him homage. What have we brought him? When we open our hearts to Jesus, will he find treasures of gold, incense and myrrh?

According to Pope Francis, “That child, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, came not only for the people of Israel, represented by the shepherds of Bethlehem, but also for all humanity, represented today by the wise men from the East.”

The revelation of Christ to the three kings or wise men at Bethlehem was not only for a chosen few but also for all nations. The Catechism explains that in the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi’s coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning toward the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament. The Epiphany shows that “the full number of the nations” now takes its “place in the family of the patriarchs,” and acquires Israelitica dignitas (are made “worthy of the heritage of Israel’) (#525).

“The men,” according to St. Matthew “returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod (Mt 2:12).” Herod was planning to kill the Child Jesus.

Epiphany, therefore, invites us to return to our own places a different route. When we get to know Jesus Christ, we are changed forever and cannot go back to our old life. Now that we found Christ, let us let His light continue to shine upon us and in turn light others we meet along the way.

Happy Epiphany to us all!