Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany

What an extraordinary saga we have in the Gospel for today’s feast! True to biblical economy we have only the bare essential details, but it is not for nothing that this journey of the magi from the east to encounter the Christ- child has inspired artists and poets down through the centuries. Consider the risk in leaving the comfort of their homes, the drive and curiosity in them to make the arduous journey, the mystery of the guiding star, the political and murderous intrigue of King Herod, and the awe and wonder in discovering the babe of Bethlehem.

Today we mark another episode in the great Christmas saga – the making known of the Saviour of the human race to the world outside of Israel, to the non-Jewish world. The word, epiphany, means a showing of the presence of God. In this great epiphany that we celebrate today, God is revealed among us and for all of us, in the Christ-Child.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is full of traditional epiphany images. We hear of guidance by a light; of kings; of a procession of people to the glory of God; of camels carrying the wealth of the nations to Jerusalem; and of gifts of gold and frankincense. What hope this prophecy would have given the people of Israel in exile! They would have been so encouraged by this promise of God’s light beginning to dawn on Jerusalem. Let today’s Feast of the Epiphany give us similar hope and encouragement at the beginning of this new year.

The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in our reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Kings bearing gifts do come, recognising that salvation has come to the entire world through the birth of Jesus. Those first three wise men represent the kings and the peoples of the whole earth.

Epiphany calls on us to recognise the presence of God among us in the person of Jesus, who shares in our humanity and suffering, and who

promises restoration and peace. This Epiphany we come to the stable in Bethlehem, recognising that this child is God’s gift to all of us.

The essence of Christmas is that God has moved into our lives, into our world, into our history. He entered our world in silence on straw, in a stable, and under a star. The cry from the infant Christ's throat was a declaration of love for all of humanity. The Creator of the universe, the infinite God, emptied himself to take on human nature, becoming a vulnerable, defenceless baby, out of love for us and for our salvation. God has come as one of us to announce his love for us and be in solidarity with us in our human experience.

Today in this feast we see the revelation of God’s plan of salvation. Jesus is the universal Saviour of the human race. Through choosing the Jewish people and forming them after his own heart, God has made salvation possible for all peoples, Jews, and Gentiles. Israel was chosen as the nation through which God would give the Messiah for every one of us.

This is the message that St Paul proclaims in the second reading for today, in his Letter to the Ephesians, “In Christ Jesus, Gentiles and Jews are co- heirs, members of the same body, sharers of the same promise.” In the Epiphany, we celebrate with generations of Christians before us, that we are included in God’s plan of salvation, just like the Jewish people.

In these few weeks we actually celebrate three epiphanies, three showings of the presence of God among us: the first is the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem and the revelation of this good news to the Jewish shepherds; the second is the feast we celebrate today when Christ is made known to the Gentiles, represented by the three wise men; and the third will be tomorrow when we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, at the beginning of his public ministry, when John the Baptist proclaims him as the long-awaited Messiah.

Today we are called to recognise that God has revealed himself to us and we have been included in God’s plan of salvation. Right through Advent we reflected on our need for salvation, and our need for a Saviour. On Christmas Day and in the Octave of Christmas that followed, we celebrated the birth of that Saviour. Today we recognise that this is for us. It is not just a historical event that took place 2000 years ago; it is a truth that reaches into our lives with salvation for us today.

This story of the magi, the wise men, seeking out the Christ-child, speaks to us of our own search for God. These wise men, using their skills and their culture, went in search of the truth. They were stargazers, astrologers and astronomers, who according to their tradition were trying to find the will of God in the stars.

We are a people created to know, love and serve God, and by doing this we find our happiness here in this life and for all eternity. Knowing our frailty and weakness in finding and keeping a sense of God, God does not allow that purpose in us to be frustrated, but instead shows himself to us so that we can know him and love him, and be loved by him. This is the reason for these epiphanies, these showings of God’s presence to us. God shows himself to us in Jesus so that we can know his great love for us and love him in return. In fact, we could say that God delights in showing himself to us.

The journey of the magi following the star, is the same pilgrimage of faith, the constant search for meaning, for purpose, for the things of God, that each one of us experiences in the course of our own lives. The search of the magi represents the yearning of all people for God. St Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” There is this God-shaped emptiness in each of us that can only be filled with God, and our lives will yearn for God until we have encountered him.

Search for God all we want, we will never fully find him. Instead, we know God, because he seeks us out, he desires us, he shows himself to us. All we can do is open ourselves to this longing within us. It is God who has revealed himself to those who came before us, and who will reveal himself to us, so that our yearning for him can be fully satisfied. God is passionately in love with us and shows himself to us so that we can know him and love him.

Let’s not be like Herod, who was self-absorbed, inward-looking, paranoid, and frustrated. His dependence on wealth and power made him ruthless and cruel, and unable to see the beauty of God as given in the Christ-child. Consider instead the great model of faith that the magi present to us today. They took the risk of faith; they were open to wonder and joy; they were generous and humble; they were obedient to the prompting of God, even in dreams; and they gave themselves to worship. What can you and I take from them, starting today? How can we open ourselves to the God who is calling us to know him? What step of faith can we take?

Isn’t it wonderful that when the magi found the Christ-king, there was no disappointment on their part? Even though they found that he lived not in a palace surrounded with officials and servants, but rather he was lying in a feeding trough surrounded by the smells of farm animals, instead of being under-whelmed, they humbly fell to their knees and presented their finest gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - gifts signifying royalty, priesthood, and anointing.

It is only when we humble ourselves before the beauty of God as it is found wrapped up in the mystery of the Infant Jesus, that we get a glimpse of the mystery of God. God’s presence is awe-inspiring, not because it is frightening or powerful; but because it is humble, beautiful, and loving. Inspired by the magi, it is to this humble presence of God that we present the gifts of ourselves and all that we have.