Epiphany of our Lord: January 05, 2025
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
The prophet Isaiah proclaims with power, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Israel, once crushed and humiliated, is now invited to lift up her eyes and see nations streaming toward her light. Darkness still covers the earth, yet the glory of the Lord rises. This is not a denial of darkness but a declaration that darkness does not have the final word. God’s light is stronger.
In the Gospel, Matthew presents the Magi, learned seekers from the East, guided by a star. They do not belong to the chosen people, they do not know the Scriptures fully, and yet they are attentive to signs. They read the heavens and dare to set out on a long, uncomfortable journey. Their faith is a searching faith. They ask questions, make mistakes, even take a wrong turn to Herod’s palace. Yet God patiently redirects them. Epiphany reminds us that God meets people where they are and leads them gently toward truth.
St Paul in the letter to the Ephesians gives us the theological heart of this feast. The mystery hidden for ages is now revealed: in Christ, the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body. No one is excluded. No race, culture, caste, or nation can claim monopoly over God. Epiphany shatters narrow religion and invites us into a universal vision of salvation.
The Magi finally arrive at Bethlehem. They find not a palace, but a child with his mother. No signs of power, no armies, no splendour. Yet they recognize what Herod could not. They kneel. They adore. They offer gifts. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh represent kingship, divinity, and sacrifice. More importantly, they offer themselves. Having encountered Christ, they do not return the same way. They go home by a different path. This is the true sign of an epiphany: encounter leads to transformation.
At this point, the story of a well-known saint helps us to understand Epiphany in daily life. Saint Teresa of Calcutta once shared how her own calling was born from a simple but radical epiphany. While travelling by train to Darjeeling in 1946, she experienced what she later called a “call within a call.” She did not see a vision of glory or light in the sky. Instead, she felt an overwhelming awareness of Jesus thirsting for love in the poorest of the poor. The light of Christ was revealed to her not in comfort, but in the dark lanes of human suffering.
She later said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” This was her epiphany lived daily. She recognized Christ in those whom society ignored. Like the Magi, she stepped out of what was familiar, left the safety of the convent school, and walked into uncertainty. She followed the star of compassion, and through her life, Christ was revealed to the world in the faces of the dying, the abandoned, and the unloved.
Her life teaches us that Epiphany is not confined to the sanctuary or the crib scene. It continues whenever a believer allows Christ’s light to shine through ordinary acts of love. The Magi offered gifts. Mother Teresa offered her life. Both became bearers of revelation.
This feast challenges us personally and socially, especially in our present context. We live amid confusion, divisions, fear of the other, and rising intolerance. Like Herod, many in positions of power feel threatened by truth and respond with violence or manipulation. Like the scribes, some know the Scriptures well but do not move their feet. The Magi invite us to a different response: humility, courage, and openness.
First, Epiphany calls us to be seekers. Faith is not passive. The Magi searched, asked, journeyed, and risked. In our lives, do we still search for God, or have we settled for routine religion? Prayer, Scripture, silence, and honest questioning keep the star visible.
Second, Epiphany calls us to recognize Christ beyond boundaries. God revealed His Son to foreigners first. Today, Christ continues to reveal Himself through people we least expect: the poor, the migrant, the wounded, the questioning youth. When we reduce faith to our own group, we miss the universality of God’s plan.
Third, Epiphany calls us to offer gifts. Gold is our resources, time, and talents. Frankincense is our prayer and worship. Myrrh is our suffering and sacrifices. When placed before Christ, even our wounds become meaningful.
Fourth, Epiphany calls us to return by another way. Encountering Christ must change our direction. It may mean forgiving someone, choosing honesty over convenience, standing for justice, or living more simply. Conversion is the fruit of true worship.
Finally, Epiphany calls us to be light. Isaiah’s command is not only descriptive but demanding: arise and shine. We are not meant to admire the light but to reflect it. In families, parishes, classrooms, offices, and communities, Christians are called to make God visible through compassion, integrity, and hope.
As one spiritual writer reminds us, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” This truth places responsibility on each of us. The world will see Christ today not through a star in the sky, but through lives that radiate His love.
As we celebrate this Eucharist, we stand with the Magi at the crib. Let us ask for eyes that recognize God’s presence, hearts that are not afraid to journey, and lives that reveal Christ to others. May this Epiphany not end at the altar, but continue in our choices, relationships, and service. Then the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled again in our time: nations shall walk by your light, and the glory of the Lord will shine through you.
Happy Sunday
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