Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord

 

Is 60:1-6

Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

Eph 3:2-3, 5-6

Mt 2:1-12

 

St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, Burkburnett, TX

St. Paul Catholic Church, Electra, TX

Christ the King Catholic Church, Iowa Park, TX

 

The word ‘Epiphany’ comes from two Greek words: epi, meaning ‘upon,’ and phaino, meaning ‘to shine.’ Therefore, the Epiphany refers to the divinity of Jesus Christ shining upon the earth: God’s love for His people, made flesh.

The Magi were not present at the Nativity of our Lord in Bethlehem, hence why we do not include them in our manger scene until today. It was at the house in Nazareth where the Magi found and adored the Lord, two or three years after he was born. The Magi were the scholars and scientists of their day. For them, astronomy and astrology were one and the same and they believed that cosmological phenomena – such as an unnatural star in the sky – were signs of great events and upheaval.

The Magi came to worship the Christ child and brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh – all gifts rich in biblical symbolism. In the Old Testament Song of Songs, frankincense and myrrh are mentioned together as nuptial perfumes used by Solomon and his bride to prepare for their marriage. In Matthew, the gifts of the Magi signify Jesus as the Bridegroom King from the time of his birth. In our first reading, Isaiah mentions gold and frankincense as gifts to be presented to the Lord by those who have been led to Him by the light; an obvious foreshadowing of the star followed by the Magi.

Like me, you are probably wondering why these Magi decided to follow this star that appeared in the skies all the way to a backwater village in the Roman province of Judea, to then present ridiculously expensive gifts to a mere child, and to bow down and pay Him homage. And why did Herod cooperate with them, even as they called out his false claim to the throne? To understand more fully, we must go back about 200 years before the birth of Christ to the Old Testament prophet Daniel. Remember that Daniel had risen to the top ranks in the Babylonian Empire during the time of the exile. Daniel was the top advisor - the Rahm-Mag, the head of the Magi - to the kings of the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Medes. Daniel passed on to the Magi the Hebrew prophecies of the Messiah to come. The Magi remembered these prophecies long after Daniel had died and the Persians were in turn conquered by the Parthians. My friends, there is no such thing as coincidence in Christianity. There is only the Divine Providence of God Almighty.

The Parthian Empire was the only power that was able to stand against the Roman Empire. When Rome attempted to invade the Parthians, their largest and mightiest legion was annihilated. The loss to the Parthians was a huge embarrassment to Rome. Now fast-forward to the time of Jesus. Here come the Magi from the east – from PARTHIA! The Magi were the advisors to the Parthian King whose job was to select the next King. They saw the Star in the sky and remembered the Hebrew prophecies passed down through the centuries. They wanted this Jewish Messiah-child to be their King and so they set out, bearing gifts fit for a King of Kings. The Magi were not three (?) little men loping along on their camels. They travelled with their entire retinue and their military escort, perhaps 5000 people in all. Imagine what the Romans must have felt seeing a Parthian legion marching into their province of Judea, still humiliated by their defeat. Imagine what the paranoid Herod thought, sitting on the throne that was not his and faced by Parthian Magi declaring they were looking for the true king of Israel! Neither the Roman governor nor King Herod dared to lift a finger to stop the Magi.

It was not the Jewish people who first recognized the child Jesus for who He is – the sign of the love of God for humanity. It was the wisest of the pagan scholars who demonstrated true wisdom. True wisdom recognizes the limits of wisdom and science. There is something higher than knowledge and that something is love. These wise men bowed down before a humble baby lying in His mother’s lap because they recognized something greater than themselves. They recognized the love of God as the ultimate power. They were scholars who bowed the intellect before the reality of love. We must follow their example in humility.

St. Joseph, Watchful Defender of Christ, Pray for Us!