Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 6, 2019 - The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord - ABC [This feast was traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6; in the USA it is now on the Sunday after Jan. 1]
[Isa 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matt 2:1-12]"Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to to him homage." [Matthew]
For our brothers and sisters of Eastern Catholic tradition and for the Orthodox churches today is Christmas day! Christ is revealed to the nations of the earth as represented in the magi. The very word, "epiphany," means to shine forth or reveal. For many of us in the Latin or Western Catholic tradition, the magi may very well be back up in the closet or attic to await the next Christmas celebration! The early Christian community saw in this event a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy which appears in the first scripture for today:....all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.
Realizing that each part of the "infancy narrative" in the Gospel According to Matthew (and that of Luke, too) is meant to foreshadow later events in the story of Jesus, the arrival of the magi sets in motion a murderous chain of events. The birth of any other "king" was a threat to Herod's paranoia. Joseph is warned in a dream to get away before Herod's agents start killing all the newborns in the area. Disciples have to understand that the revelation is not just to Jews but to all the world, and that preaching about it could be dangerous. The magi are exotic figures that can excite the imagination but their mission is our mission: to do homage to the Lord. We may not bring such symbolic gifts as gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the gifts are not the story. That story is the revelation of Jesus Christ. As the carol puts it: "Come let us adore him!" AMEN