Readings: Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mt 2:1-12
Appearance, manifestation, revelation of Christ to the
nations. This Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The word ‘epiphany’
comes from the Greek language “epiphaneia’
which means ‘appearance’, ‘showing forth’ or ‘manifestation’. So we could say
that we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord. The feast of the Epiphany
originated in the third century to commemorate the first appearance of Christ
(the infant King) to the entire world as Savior. The first reading from Isaiah
speaks about light shining through the darkness and the clouds—a wonderful
image of describing what epiphany is trying to tell us about our Lord. Our own
darkness and the clouds of our lack of understanding so often make it difficult
for us to recognize in daily life the presence of God, in the Lord Jesus, in
the Church or in other people. Psalm 72 focuses on the nations coming to adore
the Lord. “Lord,
every nation on earth will adore you” and then speaks of kings from foreign
lands bringing gifts to the Lord. The Psalm in a sense introduces the Gospel of
today that recounts the story of the three wise kings from the
East (also called the Magi), who represent all the nations. These Magi come as
seekers of the source of the light. The star is only a guide for them. On
finding the source, the infant king, they are overjoyed, they confess, worship
him and offer him gifts. In the preface of the Epiphany, we get a sense of the
mystery we celebrate. "Today you revealed in Christ your eternal plan of
salvation and showed in him as the light of all peoples". The mystery of
Christ's birth, the mystery of the Incarnation, is therefore made known to all
people all over the world without exception. St. Paul in the second reading
speaks about the inclusive nature of salvation in God’s plan.
The central message of the Epiphany is that Jesus is
revealed to us as a light to the nations. The Magi go in search of this light
guided by a star until they find the source of the light in Bethlehem. With
them we too seek and recognise the child who is born to be our Savior. Like
them, we too pay homage to Christ and accept the light that Christ brings into
our hearts. Since we are led to discover Christ, we are therefore called to go
out and share with others the Good News revealed to us. Through our daily
witness, in loving others, in forgiving them, in our faith and compassion, in
our courage and perseverance, may we be like the star that guides them in their
journey of faith, to seek and to discover Christ in their lives. The message we
take home is two-fold: 1) We are invited today to recognize God's light, God's
presence in our lives, and to let our hearts rejoice and overflow because now we
know the best way to live is allowing God in Christ to be with us 2)
Consequently, we are called to go out and share with others the Good News of
Jesus Christ revealed to us; to share the light that Christ has given us so
that others too may see the path to the best way to live.
©2018 John S. Mbinda
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