It is 3rd January 2021. We celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The readings are from
The readings are from Isaiah 60:1-6; the second reading is from Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; and the Gospel from Matthew 2:1-12.
The Epiphany is one of the four manifestation and a humble gesture of God’s generosity in manifesting, revealing to all people. There are four manifestation of the Lord we are given during this time of the year. The first is the Nativity of the Lord, the second is the Epiphany of the Lord, the third is the Baptism of the Lord, and the fourth is revealing His Divine identity during wedding at Cana.
God presents God’s Son Jesus to the entire world through the Epiphany of the Lord. But people who were sincere in their search and following the signs of the Messiah found Him like men from the East namely Caspar, Balthasar, and Melchior came to do their homage to the New-born King. The Magi are the group of scholars who were interested in interpretations of dreams, astrology, and magic. The men from the east representative of Arabia, Persia, and Syria. These are people from far not some local scholars who recognised Jesus, the Light of the Universe. We can spend the entire day debating whether it is a story and history but what the significance attached to the meaning of the story is that we all need for our life. God is reaching out the bruised and broken humanity is the Epiphany.
The prophet assures in the first reading that “the Messiah will reveal his glory to all the nations, Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Is.60:1).
The responsorial Psalm praises, “All the nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.” (Ps.72:11).
St. Paul reminds us that the revelation of God for all including non-believers. God is generous, open, and impartial in manifesting His glory to all people. “It means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and the that same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.” (Eph.3:6).
As God presenting God’s Son Jesus to us, we in turn need to present the Lord to the world around us. It is going to be difficult to share His love with those who have decided to get rid of Him just like Herod in the Gospel today. We may not have priceless, valuable gifts to offer like that of Magi, but we have our hearts, body, and lives to the Lord. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” (Rom.12:1).
Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea, ever-Virgin Mary is the star waiting to guide us all to Jesus during the most challenging times of our life.
The celebration calls us to reflect the moment of appearance of God on earth to all those who seek Him. It is closely related to the visit of the Magi to the manger at Bethlehem where Jesus, the Son of God born of Virgin Mary. God manifests Himself to mere strangers, foreigners, and outsiders. Jesus is presented not as a royal but as a poor little boy, homeless, and in abject poverty-stricken condition and was visited by poor and outcasts like that of shepherds. God manifests in an unpredictable way. Having experienced, witnessed, and felt the glory of the Lord in Jesus, the urgency to share the News of having a Saviour to everyone around. The theme of the Gospel of Mathew is, “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations.”
For the Magi, the manifestation of God was indeed a revelation and personal realization of God’s presence amidst broken humanity. The Magi were constantly listening, learning, and looking for the signs of God’s manifestation. They acknowledged the Son of God and adored Him, and they believed Him as King, Divine and Human by their symbolic gifts of God, frankincense, and myrrh
God continues to reveal to the ordinary people in an extraordinary way. God is not for only a particular group of people but for all those who seek and long to see. God revealed himself to the Shepherds, the Magi and now to us too. God reveals Himself to everyone. God does not reveal to a particular group of people only. The salvation is open for all not reserved to Israel people only. God draws us closer to Him through His Beloved Son Jesus.
The Epiphany happens everyday in our life when we are willing to find Him in ordinary circumstances of our life. For God, we all are equals, far or near, believer or non-believer, chosen or outcaste. God is found in a person, a place, an event where we least expect and believe. It is better to follow the Star, Jesus Christ than to go after stars of cinema industries. Every moment is a graceful moment to find God despite our past decisions and choices. We all need faith, courage, and trust in Jesus to continue loving God meaningfully. We need to pray for our believing communities to be open like that of Mary and Joseph who allowed the visit of the shepherds as well as the scholars to see Jesus. Our dialogue with one another with other religion and religious persons is important to respect their belief in God as we share our faith with them. The epiphany in our lives is possible even today when we are willing to see the manifestation of God among the poor and the seekers of God in the poor. Wishing you all a happy feast of Epiphany of the Lord. Have a lovely day. God bless you.