Fr Eugene Lobo, SJ
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Christ our light has come into the world and shines in the darkness. On this feast of Epiphany he manifests himself to us in a unique way. The feast of the Epiphany is the mystery of the Lord’s manifestation to all peoples, represented by the Magi, who came from the East to adore the King of the Jews. The word ‘epiphany’ comes from Greek, meaning, a ‘showing’ or ‘manifestation’. Matthew who recounts the event, stresses how the Magi arrived in Jerusalem following a star, seen at its rising and interpreted as a sign of the birth of the king proclaimed by the prophets, that is, of the Messiah. Originally this feast celebrated on the 6th of January, contained four great manifestations of Jesus, namely, the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the coming of the Magi or the three kings, the Baptism of our Lord and the wedding at Cana. Today we celebrate the feast of the coming of the Magi in search of the newly born king and God revealing himself to the universe to a group essentially non-Jewish. The magi were strangers, foreigners, total outsiders who came to pay royal homage to this tiny child. The Gospel of today tells us about the wise men from the East who followed a star in search of the new born king of the Jews. When they find him, they worship him and pay him homage as they offer him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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 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.
The Second Reading taken from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, of the commission of God’s grace that was given for them, and how the mystery was made known to him by revelation. Paul tells them that God’s revelation is universal and sees himself as the steward of God’s grace. The mystery he received by revelation he is to hand on to others. Paul considered this as a great grace. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humanity as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Through him all are now the recipients of the grace. Paul indicates two parts of the mystery. The mystery is first of all God’s plan of salvation in Christ. Secondly it includes both Jews and gentiles. All are called to be members of the body of Christ and all enjoy the promises God made to Israel.
The Gospel Reading of today relates to us the event of the three wise men that followed the star that led them to the Child Jesus. They 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. Who were these “wise men” and where did they come from? In the Greek text they are called magoi which is usually rendered in English as “Magi”. These Magi were a group of scholars who were associated with the interpretation of dreams, Zoroastrianism, astrology and magic and hence the name ‘Magi’. In later Christian tradition they were called kings, perhaps under the influence of Psalm 72:10 which says, “May the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!”. Again, Prophet Isaiah says “Kings shall see and arise; princes and they shall prostrate themselves”. In the western Christian churches, these include the traditions that there were three Magi who visited Jesus, that their names were Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, and that they were kings. These derive from an early 6th century Greek manuscript in Alexandria.
The story of the magi or so-called wise men from the East has been a favourite part of Matthew’s infancy narratives. The presentation of Matthew details of the birth of Jesus by prefiguring what will happen to him in the future. Jesus the Messiah, the Messianic King, will be rejected by Israel and accepted by the gentiles. Herod, the Chief Priests and the Scribes and all of Jerusalem represent those Jews who reject the messianic king. The magi on the other hand represent the gentiles who recognise and accept him. Technically speaking, these wise men are gentiles and they have no reason to believe or even care about the birth of a Jewish Messiah. Yet the story tells us of their search for the new born king. Matthew is not attempting to show us what really happened historically and factually at the birth of Jesus. He is far more concerned with unfolding for us what that monumental event meant for believers and unbelievers alike. Thus the meaning is very clear from the general context of Matthew’s Gospel. God, in the person of Jesus, is reaching out to the whole world. On the other hand, Herod, the chief priests and others are depicted as being uninformed and confused by the wise men’s desire to see the new born king.
Matthew tells us that the Magi or the wise men found Jesus by following a star, which thus traditionally known as the Star of Bethlehem and accepted the interpretation of the star and followed it to discover the King they were seeking. 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 three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense or incense as a symbol of priesthood, and myrrh, the embalming oil as a symbol of death. This story points to the future of Jesus.
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. 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. The story tells us that God, in the person of Jesus, is reaching out to the whole world. These pagan foreigners went to great lengths to find the King of the Jews and do him homage. The facts of today’s story may be vague but the message is loud and clear. We thank God today that there is no “Chosen People” whether they are Jews or Christians.
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.
Finally, the Feast of Epiphany is a reflection of the Light. Through the Birth of Jesus, we see the arrival of the Light in the world. 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.
Horror gripped the heart of a World War-I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. The soldier asked his Lieutenant if he could go out to bring his fallen comrade back. “You can go,” said the Lieutenant,” but don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away.” “The Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company’s trench. The officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend. “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded.” “It was worth it, Sir,” said the soldier. “What do you mean by worth it?” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead.” “Yes Sir,” the soldier answered, “but it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say….”Jim…I knew you’d come.”