The Epiphany of the Lord

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 528, 724: the Epiphany
CCC 280, 529, 748, 1165, 2466, 2715: Christ the light of the nations
CCC 60, 442, 674, 755, 767, 774-776, 781, 831: the Church, sacrament of human unity

“Adoration of the Magi”
by Cristofano Llori, 1610-11

 
Readings for the Feast of the Epiphany [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading I: Isaiah 60:1-6
 
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the Lord shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
 
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.
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Commentary on Is 60:1-6
 
The Church sees, in the images of Isaiah’s prophecy, symbols of her universality in this section of a hymn envisioning a completely restored and radiant Jerusalem. We hear echoes of Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the coming of Christ and what that means. (“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.”) Verses 5 and 6 give clear reference to the arrival of the magi as the prophet envisions the gifts of gold and frankincense being brought from the East in praise of the Lord.
 
"Today, the wise man finds lying in a manger the One he had searched for as a brilliant light shining among the stars. Today, the wise man sees wrapped in swaddling clothes the One he long sought to find, unveiled, in the heavens. Today, to his great surprise, the wise man discerns in what he studies: heaven on earth, earth in the heavens, man in God, and God in man; what the whole universe could not contain inhabits the body of a child. And seeing all this, he believes and doubts no more; and he announces it to all, using his mystical powers: incense for God, gold for the King, and myrrh for the One who will die. Today, the Gentile who was once last is first, because the faith of the wise man sanctifies the belief of all the peoples" (St Peter Chrysologus, "Sermones", 160).[5]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
 
R (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
 
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
 
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
 
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
 
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
 
Psalm 72 is one of the Royal Psalms. The psalmist exhorts God to bless the king and his dynasty ("and with your justice, the king’s son"). References are made to messianic peace which will be a perpetual blessing for a land ruled by God's justice. In the third strophe, the singer describes kings bringing gifts, and finally in the fourth strophe we see another image of the messianic kingdom of peace and justice: care for the poor. Seen in the context of the incarnation of the Messiah, the song is prophetic, announcing the coming Savior and providing an early image of the magi.
 
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Reading II: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
 
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
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Commentary on Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
 
Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, makes reference to the revelation by God of his Only Begotten Son through various means to all peoples. He mentions specifically that the apostles and prophets have been led to enlightenment by the Holy Spirit and now the Gentiles are also led (see Acts 9:15). The reference traces the predictive revelation from the prophets who foresaw the coming of the Messiah, to the apostles who walked with him, to Paul whose mission to the Gentiles fulfills the global mission of Jesus.
 
The Old Testament revealed that the nations would be blessed, but it remained unclear how this would take place (Genesis 22:16-18; Sirach 44:21; Isaiah 49:6; Zechariah 2:11). It was also not clear before the proclamation of the Gospel whether the Gentiles would be saved on an equal footing with Israel (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). [6]
 
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Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
 
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
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Commentary on Mt 2:1-12
 
Matthew's Gospel tells the story of the magi (who tradition holds were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) coming to pay homage to Jesus. The story holds significance not only as a principal event in the life of Jesus, but also as a symbol of the Lord’s universal revelation. Scripture and tradition teach that the magi were from Persia and were not Hebrew. Their participation in the revelation of the Messiah provides a global element to the coming of Christ.
 
Scriptural references would have held importance for the Jewish readers of St. Matthew’s Gospel. They would have recognized the reference to “his star at its rising” as being a reference to Numbers 24:17; his star rising from Jacob – a reference to the coming of the Davidic king – the Messiah. The Gospel supports this idea, citing Micah 5:1-3 which in turn is coupled with 2 Samuel 5:2, confirming the kingship of the coming Messiah.
 
While this story provides depth and meaning to the coming of Christ as a universal symbol of salvation, it also sets the stage for other events in the life of Jesus. Had Herod not been made aware of the prophecy, he would not later have dispatched his solders to Bethlehem to slaughter the Holy Innocents, and Joseph would not have been forced to flee to Egypt with a babe in arms.
 
CCC: Mt 2:1-12 486; Mt 2:1 528; Mt 2:2 439, 528; Mt 2:4-6 528; Mt 2:11 724
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Reflection:
 
The word “epiphany” has a number of definitions (one of which is the feast we are celebrating today).  In most cases, the word means a sudden revelation or miraculous personal insight – in short, an intuitive leap.  Today the whole history of Jesus gets validated by the visit from Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, the three wise men from the East.  When we translate the early Greek description of their trek, we find the simple statement: Εϊδομεν…χαί ήλθομεν “We saw … and we came.” [7]
 
These ancient wise men did what scientists today do not do.  They saw the star, a bright light in the heavens and understood what it was and wanted to know why it was so important.  They were searchers for the truth and in that small light, they discovered the light that transforms the world.
 
“In these pagans we encounter a perfect unity between patient science and moral justice that offers a permanent example to us Christians: the wise man seeks truth, and when he finds it, he does not hesitate to adore it, to subject himself to it.” [8]
 
They were not taken in by King Herod, whose frantic attempt to discover the Christ’s location caused them to distrust the man and his motives.  While he professed to believe in the kingship of Jesus, it was clear to them that he was afraid of a challenge to his petty authority.  Remember he was but a petty king, a puppet of the Roman Empire.
 
They continued their journey and found the light they sought.  We can only imagine, after this long and arduous journey, their joy in discovering Jesus in the arms of his mother, the king upon his first throne: he who was to proclaim the love of God the Father, in the arms of the mother of God. 
 
Their reaction tells us they knew what they saw.  “They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” Think of that! Three noble magi with their retinue come to a stable and, in supplication to an infant, they lie down on the floor, a floor covered with the detritus of a working barn.  What revelation was so strong that it not only brought them far from their homes, at great expense, without any clear picture of what they were to find and caused them to prostrate themselves in abject worship to an infant child in the arms of his mother.
 
In this example we find the true meaning of our modern Christmas.  The incarnation of Jesus: the Son of God chose to come to us in a weak and vulnerable form that we might understand the true face of God. He did not come as the Jews expected, in shining armor with a sword in his hand to cast out the Roman oppressors.  He came as an infant child, bathed in the love of his earthly parents.  Was it this intense image of incredible love that caused Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar to prostrate themselves in adoration?  For most of us who have faith in the Lord, we have all wished at some point that we could have been there with them.
 
Now comes the hard question for all of us, separated from that glorious event by over two thousand years.  Jesus came in humility and throughout his time as a human person, he expressed the love of God for all those around him.  He proclaimed that his mission was to announce the Kingdom of God.  This was the mission he left to his disciples, the apostles.  They in their turn passed the mission to the Church and the Church passes that mission to us – missionary disciples.
 
The “Epiphany” is the revelation through faith that the Christ, the Messiah, has offered all God’s children a place in the kingdom of God.  How do we accept that mission?
 
This is not a casual question.  First, we must form ourselves. That means putting some tools in our Christian tool kit. This means (and we can put this into our “New Year’s resolution" list) education and practice.  There is no way around this; it takes effort, not just a thought: “Gee, I really should do this.”  Compared with losing weight and other commitments we make at this time of year, this is more important. 
 
By educating ourselves about discipleship principles, we automatically become more prone to peace. Any doctor will tell you this is great for your blood pressure and will actually add years to your life.  There will also grow a sense of joy and serenity as we come to understand that we walk with the Lord and he is there to help and guide us. And when we practice what we have learned, our spiritual stamina will grow and build upon itself.
 
There is another story that, while fictional, exemplifies the principles of discipleship. The Story of the Other Wise Man is a short novel or long short story by Henry van Dyke published in 1895. In this story, without giving a lot of detail, there is a fourth “king” who comes late to the caravan of Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.  He finds they have already departed, following the star and he must follow on his own with his own great gift for the Savior. After finding a number of people along the way who are in desperate need of help, he ends up selling off his precious gift to help them, arriving late and with no gift to give Jesus. His gift, like ours, was his journey.  It was a journey exemplifying our Lord’s Greatest Commandment – “Love one another.”
 
We have accepted the Epiphany of the Lord.  We have accepted in faith the mission handed on to us from Jesus to the apostles, to the Church and to us.  It is a new year; we owe it to ourselves and to our God to accept his mission as our own.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Adoration of the Magi” by Cristofano Llori, 1610-11.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible, Major Prophets (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 261.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. © 2010), 348.
[7] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996), 74.
[8] Ibid.