Breaking Open the Word
The Epiphany of the Lord
Introduction
"Epiphany" means "appearance, revelation, or manifestation." Today’s feast celebrates the first of three joyful wonders that signified Jesus' identity as the long-awaited Messiah. The first epiphany was the visit of the Magi. They followed a star from the East to find the King of the universe to give Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (the Gospel Reading). The second was Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River and the first revelation of the Divine Trinity: God the Holy Spirit descended over God the Son in the form of a dove, and the divine voice of God the Father spoke from Heaven. The third revelation occurred at the wedding feast at Cana when Jesus turned water into wine in His first miracle. In the Gospel accounts of these three epiphanies, we learn that God appears in creation to move forward His divine plan. He reveals Himself as a guiding star, as a dove accompanied by a voice from Heaven, and in the gift of wine that miraculously came from stone water jars to prefigure the miracle of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
In the First Reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, the symbolism of light dramatizes humanity's hope of God appearing to a world darkened by sin. The passage looks forward in time to Jesus Christ, "the Light of the world," He who drives out the darkness of sin and death (Jn 1:5; 8:12). He is a divine "Light" shining in the darkness prophesied by God's holy prophets.
The Psalm response prepares us for the Gospel account of the visit of the Gentile Magi, promising: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." In remembering the Magi's journey and their adoration of the Christ-child, we celebrate the Christmas mystery of the manifestation (epiphany) of the universal dominion of the newborn King of kings. In that event, God became visible, clothed in human flesh, to the Magi, who were the first Gentiles from among "the nations" to worship Christ.
In our Second Reading, St. Paul wrote about the mystery of God's plan to deliver Gentiles and Jews through Christ's work of redemption. He told the Ephesian Christians that implementing that plan to bring the Gentiles to salvation began with the Gospel message delivered by Jesus' Apostles and disciples (Acts 8:26-38 and 10:1-48). However, Paul also wrote that Jesus specifically gave the Gospel message of salvation to him to deliver to the Gentiles as his life's mission at the time of his conversion experience (Acts 9:15).
Gospel Explained
In the Gospel Reading, the gifts the Magi gave the Christ-child had cultural and theological significance. They prostrated themselves in adoration, giving Jesus gifts of gold (a gift fit for a king), frankincense (incense used in worship and offered by priests), and myrrh (an aromatic spice produced from the gum resin of certain bushes or trees used in the preparation of the dead). The Magi were the first Gentiles to respond to God's call to the Gentile nations to come to salvation through Christ Jesus. The Gentile Magi, who sought out the Christ-child, as opposed to Herod's chief priests who made no effort to find Him, is a precursor to the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders and the acceptance of Jesus's message of salvation by the Gentiles.
One particular thought can be made of these 3 kings. They were seekers of the truth. They had enough information when they first saw the star to know that the King of the Jews had been born. Of this they were certain, considering the kingly gifts they brought with them on their journey. They didn’t have enough information to know where, so they visited the center of Jewish faith, Jerusalem. Thinking king, they visited king Herod. Without enough knowledge of Hebrew scripture, they consulted the religious leaders who did have this knowledge. Once they knew where, they immediately continued to Bethlehem, again guided by the star. They knew without a doubt when they found the child Jesus, and bowed down in worship of Him. And wisely being open to the guidance of God in a dream, they avoided the politics of Herod and returned to their homes. If only we could find out how their lives were changed by the encounter with Christ on this journey.
Today's Theme
God has arrived. Even as this little infant is lying in a manger, the world is changing. The shepherds were called by an angel, at first as a bright star, that the Messiah has just been born. The sky was filled with heavenly hosts singing praises to God. Imagine that sight! Now we have these 3 wise men being led by a star-like bright light to Jerusalem, and after a failed attempt to get information from an evil king, the star continued to lead them to Bethlehem, about 7 miles away. They knew this was no small event, for look at the expensive gifts they brought. And when they found the Christ child, they didn’t hesitate a bit that there must be some mistake, they knew instinctively that they had found exactly who they were searching for, and they knew to worship Him.
Jesus was born into a violent time. Herod, who had killed anyone who he felt threatened, would kill even family members, so to kill the Holy Innocents meant nothing to him. The Holy Family would have to flee to Egypt. When they returned, Herod’s son was in charge, he who would behead John the Baptist for a suggestive dance. The Sanhedrin, who consulted with Herod about the birth of the Messiah, would later condemn Jesus in a mock trial. Pilate would cave in to them and have Jesus scourged and crucified, alongside criminals as another point of mockery.
Theme in our Life Today
The identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, was reveled in stages: first to Mary and Joseph, then the shepherds, and then to the Magi; and later to John the Baptist and then to the disciples. The mission of the Church is to make Christ known to all nations.
Jesus was a person of consequence as soon as He was born. Even as He was born in an insignificant place, a stable surrounded by animals, shepherd show up and pay Him honor. This is a newborn baby in a stable, it’s not even a common event yet they knew the baby was someone special. Then the 3 kings set out from the East, knowing a baby has been born who IS the king of the Jews. And visiting Herod, when he is upset and worried all the people of Jerusalem are also worried.
Jesus Christ, "the Light of the world" (John 8:12), gave a mission to His disciples in every generation when He called them to become a reflection of His "light" by sharing His Gospel of salvation to illuminate the lives of others. That is our mission as well.
The angel told the Magi to avoid Herod and to return to their home by another route. We must also take this advice to heart by avoiding those who present themselves as a hindrance to our faith or our mission to honor Christ and spread His Gospel message of salvation to the ends of the earth.
Prepare for Sunday
To Prepare for this Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word, consider the following:
1. Study the infancy narratives in the gospel, Matthew chapters 1-2, Luke chapter 2
2. Pray the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary, pondering each decade
Let us pray.
Taken from the liturgy, the Church's prayer at the beginning of the Mass:
"Father, You revealed your Son to the nations by the guidance of a star. Lead us to Your glory in Heaven by the light of faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen."