Epiphany

1. The word Epiphany means manifestation, which is defined as being made evident to the senses or made obvious to the understanding. Usually when we think of Epiphany, we remember the Three Kings or Magi who brought gifts to Jesus. This feast, however, is really not about the three Magi. It is about Jesus and His manifestation. But what about Jesus is being manifested, made evident to our senses or made obvious?
2. The key of course is found in the Holy Scriptures. In the ancient tradition of the Church, there are actually three Gospel readings associated with the feast of Epiphany. One of them of course is the visit of the Magi. The others, which we will hear the next two Sundays, are the Baptism of the Lord and the Wedding Feast at Cana. All of these Gospels indicate something about Jesus being made evident to the senses.
3. In the Wedding Feast at Cana, Jesus reveals His power over creation in the changing of the water into the wine. In the Baptism of the Lord, the Spirit rushes upon Jesus, the heavens open and the voice is heard identifying Jesus as the Beloved Son of God. In the Story of the Magi, a star arises which reveals Jesus as the newborn King of Israel. To the majority of the onlookers, Jesus was just another baby born in Bethlehem. Having been born in a stable and given a feedbox for His bed, Jesus did not appear very special. Yet to those who were paying attention- the shepherds who saw the angelic host in the heavens and the Magi who observed the star at its rising, they learned that Jesus was indeed something more. In fact, after they had seen what they saw, they could not unsee it.
4. The manifestation that the Feast Epiphany celebrates is that Jesus was revealed as the Son of God, the rightful King of Israel, the Savior of the World. Before the people of Israel begged God for a human king, God alone was their king. In spite of the greatness of both King David and King Solomon, all the kings without exception failed in holiness. Many of those kings whom human history might regard as successful, the Bible dismisses with the words they did evil in the sight of the Lord (too many places to list). Now in Jesus the kingship is put right again- a human king in the line of David, but one who is Mighty God, and Ruler of the Universe, whom even the stars must honor.
5. In the Feast of Epiphany we recall that Jesus is revealed as King and Lord not just of the Chosen People of Israel, but for the whole world. We listened to the words of Saint Paul to the Ephesians the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6). When Simeon held Jesus in his arms he exclaimed to God: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:30-32). Why else would the Magi have been given a sign, except that God wanted them to know the truth about our Lord? It is not just so that the prophecy will be fulfilled that the caravans would come bearing gifts. It is that the whole world would sing the praises of the Lord.
6. Note that God used the means by which the Magi would see and understand in revealing Himself and the salvation which Christ would bring. There is a saying that in every culture is the seed of the Gospel. For the Magi, God used the star; for the indigenous people of Mexico, the Lord sent the Blessed Mother and the image on the Tilma. To each person who searches for the truth, God will send His message that Jesus is Lord and God and that He alone is the Savior of the world.
7. Such a revelation of God’s desire to save all people- well not a revelation only of God’s will but of the actual fact that God is saving us and has appeared to save us should fill us with gratitude and joy, just as it did the Magi who followed the star. The same Lord who manifested Himself to them is revealed to us.
8. Even though this feast is about what God has done for all of us through His Son Jesus, we cannot help noticing that not everyone received the message. The star which the Magi followed was visible to everyone. But not everyone followed it. The scribes who advised King Herod had ready knowledge that the Messianic King would be born in Bethlehem, but they missed meeting the actual Jesus. Herod was jealous and intended to do all in his power to kill Jesus without even bothering to know Him. Not everyone gets it. In the sacraments, God makes readily available to our senses the presence of Christ, such as in the Eucharist. But not all receive the message or recognize Jesus in the breaking of the Bread. It requires faith, which is also a gift from God, albeit one which we must exercise. It requires pure hearts, hearts intent on finding the Truth and following it.

The Epiphany of Our Lord

1. Two weeks ago, I learned that we store our camels and wise men under the altar all year long. Now we have them out and at our Nativity scene, we depict the visit of the Magi to Jesus. The image of the three Magi, also called Wise men or Kings is the most common image we have for Epiphany. There are many families who will exchange gifts on Epiphany rather than Christmas, both to focus on the birth of Jesus on Christmas and to recall their gift giving on Epiphany. But although the visit of the Magi is the most common image that Epiphany brings to mind, it is not the only image historically. In the ancient tradition, there are three Gospel readings associated with today’s feast.
2. There is the visit of the Magi as we have heard today. There is the Baptism of Our Lord, which we will celebrate next Sunday. And there is the Wedding at Cana in Galilee (John 2:1-11). In the Liturgy of the Hours, however, antiphons will be prayed that bring all these three traditional readings to mind. These Gospels seem very different from one another, so we might have the question why are they traditional readings Epiphany? What does Jesus’ Baptism and the Wedding at Cana have to do with the Three Kings? The common thread of these three Gospels is the word Epiphany itself. Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning Manifestation. The feast revolves around the Manifestation of Jesus as the Universal Messiah.
3. At Jesus’ Baptism, as we will hear next Sunday, God the Father reveals Jesus as His Beloved Son. And He sends the Holy Spirit upon Him. Thus Jesus is Manifested as both Christ and Lord. In the Wedding at Cana, Jesus turns water into wine and reveals His divine power. John calls this miracle a sign. That is a sign of who Jesus is (Lord) and what God’s kingdom is about- it is about abundance.
4. In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies that the Light will come to Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord will shine. This divine Light is not for Jerusalem only, or for the Jews only. Rather, it is a light by which all nations on the earth will walk. Everyone will bring their children into this light. In the action of the Magi, we can observe the symbolic fulfillment of this prophecy. They came from afar to worship the Newborn King of the Jews, Jesus and to bring costly presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But the Epiphany is that the Lord sent His Light into the world to draw these gentiles to worship Christ. It was God who Manifested Himself and called the nations to him.
5. As part of the Sacrament of Baptism, the parents and godparents are entrusted with a lighted candle, to represent the Light of Christ which has gone into the world to illumine our hearts. The priest prays that the newly baptized will always walk as a child of the light. The Magi can be said to have walked in the Light of Christ. They observed His star and journeyed to meet Him. Even when they left to return home, they obeyed the will of God and went another way. This going another way does not simply describe their taking a different route home, one that avoided King Herod. It could also describe that they went home changed men. Having followed the star, having presented gifts, having seen the Christ Child, could they go back home the same men they were when they had left? No! They would have to be different because they light shone within them to guide them home. So too does that same light shine in us, as long as we do not walk in the darkness of sin.
6. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks of the great grace of the Feast of Epiphany: that it is revealed that the Gentiles are coheirs with the Jews. We are members of the same body, that is Christ’s Body, with the same eternal inheritance. Our parish gives witness to the truth of universality of the promises of God. We have people from many different countries, many different cultures, many different languages and customs. Some of us may be of Jewish ancestry, but most of us are not. Yet we are all one Body in Christ. We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. We all have the same inheritance awaiting us in the glory of Heaven with God our Father, Jesus our Brother as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary as our Mother along with Saint Joseph and Saint Michael and all the saints.
7. The three Gospels not only speak of God manifesting Jesus as the Son of God, the Universal King, the Messiah and Savior of the world. They also manifest each in their own way how Jesus will save us. In His Baptism, Jesus humbled Himself to be Baptized by someone who was not his superior. In His passion, Jesus would submit to the judgement of the unjust for our sake. At the wedding at Cana, Jesus embarked on His public ministry in obedience to His mother. His ministry would entail complete obedience to the Father including the manner of His death.
8. The visit of the Magi also reveal something about how Jesus is the Christ. For example, King Herod pretends to want to honor Jesus, when in reality he desires to kill him out of jealousy. And Herod is willing to kill many children to achieve this goal (Matthew 2:16-18). The gifts of the Magi also tell us something. Although gold, frankincense and myrrh are all costly items, they may not all be the kind of gifts that one would expect for one’s baby. Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment. Not exactly what one might give at a baby shower. But it foreshadows Jesus’ passion and death. In revealing Jesus as the Son of God and Savior, God wants us to understand Him fully. Jesus is Messiah through suffering. We cannot forget the cost of our salvation if we want to enter into the full glory that is our inheritance.