Epiphany of our Lord January 08, 2023
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Click here for the story of the Fourth Wise Man
Epiphany means manifestation. It is a celebration of God manifesting as the baby Jesus and revealing Himself to the world. This narrative which is based on the Gospel according to Matthew describes the Magi, men who were astrologers, looking for the star that would lead them to the promised Messiah.
The names of the three wise men are: Caspar, Melchior and Balthassar. They are also known as the three kings or the three wise men, though their number is never actually revealed in the Bible. They brought three gifts viz. gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was considered a symbol of kings, frankincense a perfume representing divinity which was often burned in the temple to worship God, and myrrh an anointing and embalming oil that symbolized death.
Today’s First Reading from the Book of Isaiah speaks of a prophecy that was made approximately seven hundred years prior to the birth of Christ expresses the joy of the Israelites as they returned after years of captivity and entered the holy city Jerusalem. The chapter 60 is a chapter of hope. It is a hope from darkness to light- from sin to new life. The prophecy of Isaiah gave them hope that the promised Messiah would soon rise among the people and that His glory would be seen by all. As God's chosen people, it was prophesied to the Jewish nation that they would be the light of the world and that the nations of the world would come to their light. At last Jerusalem has achieved its ideal as a city of light.
As we read
the gospel of the day we hear one of the world’s greatest stories, full of
drama, radiance and mystery. We know from the slaughter of the innocents that
there were a number of male children born around Bethlehem at that time, so
what makes this child so special?
The story of
the Wise Men is telling us that in the birth of this child God is doing
something of unsurpassable significance, something that transforms the darkness
of human history into hope and light. Everything serves the divine project:
Nature is shown to be at this child’s service in the form of a guiding star;
the Wise Men from the East stand for all the nations; the world of dreams is
orchestrated to assist them, and the safe escape of the travellers indicates
that evil is overcome by good.
The story the Magi is story of the ways in which God reveals himself and even more about the different responses which his revelation receives. There are numerous manifestations or epiphanies of God in our lives and in the lives of everyone. In fact the Old and the New Testaments are the expression of such a revelation. We can learn much from the manifestation of God to the three wise men. They were the pilgrims in search of the divine and their joy was immense when they made the discovery. Their faith was childlike and deeply religious. They had a specific purpose in mind and they went in a particular direction. They followed the star and they encountered God. It tells us that we too have to search for our God and cannot rest till we find him.
The three wise men followed the brilliant star in the sky. To them, the light of the star was a symbol of hope, of joy and of peace. To them, the star was but a small reflection of the fullness of the Light of the world that awaited them at the end of their journey. Through the Magi, we see the light of hope, of joy and of peace to come. Through the Baptism of Jesus, we see the beginning of the ministry of the Light in the world. Through the miracle at Cana, we see the Light of God manifesting His Supreme power over the element of water. All these events are reminders to us that we too are called to be a light in the world.
Happy Feast
No comments:
Post a Comment