Epiphany of the
Lord [Mt 2:1-12]
05.01.2025
The
Visit of the Wise Men from the East
1. Theme in brief
Seeking and finding the Lord
2, Focus Statement
Christian life is an
on-going process of searching for and finding the Lord under divine guidance,
and after finding him offering ourselves to him.
3.
Explanation of the text
Today’s gospel begins by stating that in the time of king Herod another
King of the Jews was born. At that time “wise men from the East” (2:1),
popularly and traditionally known to us as “three kings”, went in search of the
newborn King of the Jews, guided by a star (2:1-2). Actually, the given gospel
text does not call them ‘kings,’ but wise men or magi (astrologers). Their
purpose of undertaking this strenuous ‘search’ was to pay the new born King of
the Jews their “homage”
(2:2).
When Herod heard that the wise men had come to Jerusalem looking for the
newborn King, he was shaken and frightened (2:3). He suspected a dangerous plot against
him by a rival king. Hence he asked the wise men to search diligently for the child and
report to him that child’s whereabouts, so that he could kill him, and not
‘adore’ him, as he cunningly said (2:8).
The magi who came from the East represent the gentile world. Their searching and finding Jesus implies that he is born not
only for the chosen people (Jews), but for all. As he is the universal Saviour, now the gentiles also can search for him in faith and find him. The
rising star which these astrologers (wise men) observed (2:2) can mean two things:
(1) The newborn King of the Jews (Jesus) is the ‘Star’ that has risen, as it is written in
the Book of Isaiah, “The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2), or (2) the light of divine guidance or revelation that led or guided them to the Divine Child.
Three contrasting issues clearly stand out in
this text: (1) fear of the worldly ruler (Herod) that he may lose
his power to a rival king; (2) refusal of the religious leaders (chief priests and
scribes) of Israel to accept the Messiah though they had the Scriptures with
them; and (3) the joyous welcome and adoration given by the gentile
representatives who recognise his light. Here Matthew contrasts the rejection of
Jesus by the chosen people with the faith or fidelity of the gentile wise men. He tells us three
times emphatically the only intention of the wise men to undertake
such a long journey was to pay him their ‘homage’ (2:2, 8, 11), which implies
an act of prostration before him or adoration.
The gentile wise men were not in possession of
divine revelation of the Scriptures, as the Jews were. Hence, Matthew wants to
tell his readers that they received divine revelation through natural science (that is, astrology that studies
the movements of the stars). But they had to confirm it through the Scriptures.
Hence, the star, instead of leading them directly to
The wise men opened their treasure chests and
offered Jesus the gifts of gold (owned mostly by kings) to symbolise that he
was the spiritual King; frankincense (or incense used by priests during
worship) to symbolize that he was the High Priest or Mediator between God and men,
and myrrh (a perfume used to anoint corpses) to indicate that he was born to die
for his people.
4.
Application to life
Life is a search. All humans search for happiness. They want to be
relieved from all obstacles to happiness such as pain of loneliness,
frustration, despair, failure and harsh realities of life. Some seek temporary
or momentary relief from these problems by
taking drugs, alcoholic drinks and indulging in sexual pleasures. But where is lasting happiness? We
need to gain access to the reservoir or the source of true happiness. A Christian disciple believes that
Jesus is this source. Therefore, he/she believes that lasting happiness can be
found by seeking Jesus and finding him, or by seeking after his values such as truth,
peace, salvation…. Hence, Christian life is an on-going process of searching
for and finding Jesus who continually takes birth today in newer and newer
forms/ ways in our world or life-situations.
This continual birth of Christ is also called his ‘Epiphany’ (manifestation),
that
is, revelation of his light. He reveals
(manifests) himself to us in various ways and invites us to respond to his love like the wise men. The rising star which
the wise men observed symbolises three different things: first, in faith we
believe that Jesus himself is the greatest Star or light that has risen amidst the darkness of this
world, as prophet Isaiah states (Is 9:2). Therefore, like the magi we have to
always ask in our imagination as well as in all situations, “Where is the
newborn King? Where and how can I find him and experience true peace and
happiness which come from him?” Like the pundits of
Secondly, in our search for the greatest Star (Lord Jesus), there are
other ‘stars’ that guide or lead us in this
pursuit. These ‘stars’ of divine guidance come
to us in various ways – through the grace of God, an enlightenment we receive
from God or his Spirit, a passage of Scripture by which God himself speaks to
us, guidance of our parents/ teachers/ counsellors/ friends, or through prayer
and sacraments. Strangely, these ‘stars’ could be even the poor people with
whom Jesus identifies himself (cf. Mt 25:35-40), or various events of our
personal and world history through which the Lord manifests himself to us.
These ‘stars’ become the media through which we can search for and find
the Lord.
Let
us consider some of the problems of the world through which God speaks to us: global warming and climate change tell us that we must care for the
Mother Earth and instead of overexploiting her resources we must preserve/conserve
them; terrorists/ criminals tell us
that our society must own up its responsibility towards them because it is directly
or indirectly produces such people by committing acts of injustice/
exploitation/ oppression against such people or against their community; addicts tell us that their addiction does not come in bottles or
drug packets, but is often a result of the emotional wounds inflicted on them
and damaged personalities created in them by their families and society; civil wars and riots tell us that the governments and administration
should examine whether they are the result of their wrong/selfish policies or
dereliction of their duties; etc.
Our discovery of the Lord should lead us to a faith-response like the wise men – of wonder,
joy, adoration and offering of ourselves (or whatever we have) to him. Today’s
text invites us to adore him as the King of our hearts
(symbolised by gold offered by the magi), as the High
Priest
who mediates between God and us (symbolised by frankincense offered by them), and
as the Sacrificial Victim who is born in order to
offer his life in sacrificial death for us (symbolised by myrrh). Along with
these gifts we offer our whole life in an act of total surrender. We pay our homage to him as the only Ruler of our lives, as the High Priest who continually intercedes for us with the Father and as the
One who enables us to join our daily sacrifices with his supreme sacrifice
on the cross.
Thirdly, since Jesus is the universal Saviour, we have to become like stars to lead others to him. Today the
magi represent all the people of other faiths. We are called to be both receptors and reflectors of Christ’s light. We
become receptors when we receive divine enlightenment through prayer and
meditation on the Word of God, and reflectors when we in turn become shining
lights to others through our Christian witness. The light of Christ shines
before those who do not know him through our life and witness. Our conduct either shines before
them like a star or misleads them. Having received
the light of faith, if we do not shed that light before those who do not have
it, or if we give counter-witness (bad example), we
become like the pundits of
Therefore, Epiphany is a great missionary
feast,
which invites us to share our faith with others in word and deeds (which give
witness to Christ). Then we too become “a light of revelation to the gentiles”
(Lk 2:32), as Christ himself was. Suppose, the personal and striking witness
given by Pope Francis about simplicity among the Church leaders and her option
for the poor, is not imitated by the rest of the Church and her leaders, how
can the world experience a new ‘epiphany’ of the Lord?
But
beware! There are ‘Herods’ (forces and groups) even today in various parts of
the world, who are opposed to Christ’s values and plot to destroy them by threatening and intimidating those who stand for those values.
For example, the activities of missionaries/ social activists/ voluntary
agencies among the underprivileged people in the fields of education, social justice
and human rights, pose a threat to those who want to exploit or subjugate them.
There are people or groups with vested interests who conspire against service of
the Church to the poor, the underprivileged and the marginalized as Herod did.
They fear that they may lose their power or hold over the poor and downtrodden
people. There is a temptation haunting missionaries and social activists
whether to withdraw their services to the poor out of fear. Amidst this fear
there is a question whether to remain faithful witnesses of Christ and become
lights of revelation of his love, or allow the poor and the marginalized to
remain in darkness. If we allow it how can we say: “The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2)? Most probably they will continue to remain in darkness.
5.
Response to God's Word
We praise God for having revealed his Son to us and pray to him that we
may manifest him to those who do not know him. Do we give witness to Christ’s
values among people of other faiths in our neighbourhood and workplaces by our
conduct, or give them bad example? Do we consider that searching for Christ or
looking for him in prayer, sacraments, Scriptures and all situations or events
is an essential aspect of Christian faith? If so, how committed are we to these
faith-practices? Are we like Herod pretending to pay homage to Christ in the
church or in traditional prayers, but are involved in killing/opposing/negating
his values?
6.
A prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the rising Star that dispels our darkness. We adore
you as the King of our hearts and offer our lives to your guiding light. Grant
that we may never tire of seeking you in all situations and events. Grant that
our search for you result in finding you or recognising your presence
everywhere. We repent for the times we gave bad example to those who do not
know you by negating your gospel-values. Like the wise men, who took a
different route to return home, give us the grace and enlightenment to take a
new direction in our lives so that we become better witnesses of your love.
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