Epiphany of our Lord January 07, 2024
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
A well-known incident that happened in the life of St Mother
Teresa of Kolkata would help us today. “Mother Teresa once visited a poor man
in Melbourne, Australia. He was living in a basement room, which was in a
terrible state of neglect. There was no light in the room. He did not seem to
have a friend in the world. She started to clean and tidy the room. At first,
he protested, “Leave it alone. It is alright as it is.” But she went ahead
anyway. As she cleaned, she chatted with him. Under a pile of rubbish, she
found an oil lamp covered with dust. She cleaned it and discovered that it was
beautiful. And she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How come
you never lighted it?” “Why should I light it?” “No one ever comes to see me.”
Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “Yes,” he
replied. “If I hear a human voice, I will light the lamp.” Two of Mother
Teresa’s sisters began to visit him regularly. Things gradually improved for
him. Every time the sisters came to visit him, he had the lamp lighted. Then
one day he said to them: “Sisters, I will be able to manage myself from now on.
Do me a favour. Tell the first sister who came to see me that the light she lit
in my life is still burning.”
The light that God lit to announce the coming of His son is
still burning. The Magi followed the path of the great light and reached the
cradle of Jesus. For the last twenty centuries many have followed the
footprints of the Magi.
In the First Reading of the day Prophet Isaiah consoling the
people in exile speaks of the restoration of New Jerusalem. In the New
Jerusalem, the glory of God would be seen, not only upon the Jewish nation, but
also upon the Gentiles. The prophet invites Jerusalem to rise to its feet and
witness all the wonderful things God has in store for it. The darkness and
thick clouds of human pride and ignorance are replaced with light. The prophet
speaks of the splendor and radiance that envelopes Jerusalem. The glory of God
shines over it. Just as the lips of Prophet Isaiah were once purified by the
Holy Fire, so too sins of the nation were purified by the fire of divine
judgment. With so much impurity removed,
the nation now reflects the light of faith. It becomes the light to the
nations, guiding them along the right path to God.
Magi were a group or caste of scholars who were associated
with the interpretation of dreams, Zoroastrianism, astrology and magic. We are
not told what their names were or how many of them there were or their place of
origin. Tradition settled on three, presumably because there were three kinds
of gifts. And they were also given names, probably from the seventh century,
Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. The name Caspar means treasurer, Melchior meaning
splendor, Balthazar meaning God protect the king. On finding him, without
hesitation or doubt they pay their homage and present him three symbolic gifts:
gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three
gifts are explicitly identified in Matthew, which are found only in Yemen. Many
different theories of the meaning and symbolism of the gifts have been brought
forward. While gold is fairly obviously explained, frankincense, and
particularly myrrh, is much more obscure. All three gifts are ordinary
offerings given to a king. Myrrh being commonly used as anointing oil
particularly at death, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable
precious item.
The Feast of Epiphany is a reflection that Jesus is the
Light of the world. Through his birth we see the arrival of the Light into the
world. The three wise men saw the brilliant star in the sky, understood the
meaning and followed it. Through the Magi, we see the light of hope, of joy and
of peace to come. All in all, today's feast is telling us that for God there
are no foreigners, no outsiders. From his point of view, all are equally his
beloved children. We all, whatever external physical or cultural differences
there may be between us, belong to one single family which has one Father, God.
It means that every one of us is a brother and sister to everyone else. There
is no room for discrimination of any kind based on nationality, race, religion,
class or occupation. There cannot be a single exception to this position. The
facts of today's story may be vague but the message is loud and clear. The
story tells us that there is no partiality in God and we all of us are his
chosen people.
The journey of the Magi also prompts us to reflect on our
own spiritual journeys. Are we actively seeking God in our lives? Are we
willing to step out of our comfort zones, like the Magi did, to encounter
Christ in new and unexpected ways? What star do I follow in my life? Do I
follow the worldly stars – money, power, name, fame, honour, glory? The
Epiphany invites us to be open to transformation—to allow the encounter with
Christ to change us, to deepen our faith, and to inspire us to live more authentically
as His followers.
Ultimately, the Epiphany of our Lord is a celebration of
revelation—the manifestation of God's love and presence among us. It invites us
to respond with joy, gratitude, and a renewed commitment to follow Christ
faithfully. May we, like the Magi, be attentive to the signs of God's presence,
journey with faith, and offer our gifts of love, worship, and service to the
One who continues to reveal Himself in our lives.
Happy Feast
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