EPIPHANY OF THE LORD – YEAR B
First Reading (Is 60: 1-6). The prophet congratulates the exiles who came back from Babylon with a vision to restore the city. This prophecy was fulfilled with Jesus when he came and restored the new Israel, the Church.
Second Reading (Eph 3: 2-3.5-6). The salvation brought by Jesus is to be shared on equal footing Jews and Gentiles together.
Gospel (Mt 2: 1-12). While the Jews leaders rejected the child Jesus, three Gentiles came from a far country to pay their homage to the child Jesus.
HOMILY
ONE THING WE NEED TO GRASP AND UNDERSTAND ON THIS FEAST IS THE FAITH OF THE MAGI. The three wise men also called Magi were not Jews. They were outsiders or Gentiles. Being Gentiles, they recognized Christ as the Saviour of the world. They are models of faith for us. We need to ask the Lord to increase our faith so that we recognize His presence in the Eucharist we celebrate every day and welcome Him every day in our hearts.
The three wise men (magi) are known as Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspar. They brought the gifts of Myrrh, frankincense and gold.
I would like us to focus our attention to the symbolism of these gifts on this feast of the epiphany also known as the feast of the Magi.
The Gift of Myrrh
The history of the ancient peoples in the Bible tells us that myrrh was used to prepare the dead for burial. A typical example we find in the burial of Jesus himself, the women brought myrrh to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning before they realized that Jesus was not in the tomb. The relationship between myrrh and death makes it ideal of the humanity of Jesus: Jesus being fully human is vulnerable to death. This gift of myrrh demonstrates the human vulnerability of Jesus and speaks to us that He (Jesus) shall die one day. Like us, Jesus experienced a whole range of emotions: sorrow, joy, fear, loneliness and frustration, pain and suffering. He was like us in everything but sin. How great a God we have in Jesus to with whom we share the same humanity. We can identify ourselves in Him except sin.
The Gift of Frankincense
Incense has been used since the years of our ancestors in their religious worship. The aroma and smoke that go up to heaven, spoke to them of the divinity of God. The gift of frankincense brought to the child Jesus was therefore symbolic of his divinity. As Saint Paul tells us in his book to the Philippians: “Jesus always had the nature of God, but he became like man and appeared in human likeness…” Phil 2: 6-9.
We have a God though divine, decided to come down and live among us. The gift of frankincense symbolizes the Godliness in Him. His humility to live among is of great praise that we imitate him by honoring and praising his name.
The Gift of Gold
Gold is regarded since the ancient time as the king of metals. Gold was therefore known as an ideal gift to give to a king.
A king was and still is above all a leader. A king in those days was to lead his people by love first and rules after. He had to undertake noble causes for his people and had to inspire others to join him in his causes. Jesus was such a king. He led the people by love. His noble cause was to establish God’s kingdom on earth. He then inspired us to join him in his cause to continue to establish the kingdom of God here on earth.
The practical message of the feast of the Epiphany therefore is: What Jesus begun must be continued by us in our time. If Jesus is to be made known by all nations, we are to make an effort to carry the message of salvation he brought to all like the Magi. We must tell the world that Jesus came not only for the Jews but for all nations as this feast is the feast of all nations. Jesus came to set up a new world, a world of love where there’s no Jew, no Gentile but all as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is the good news we are to bring to the world, this is the practical message of the feast of the three wise men. It is a message that calls all of to action.
Let me conclude with a Tweeter from His Holiness Pope Francis on this feast. The Pope says @Pontifex “Like the Magi, believers are led by faith to seek God in the most hidden places, knowing that the Lord waits for them there”.
