Solemnity of Epiphany
Sunday, 3 January 2016
“And entering the house, they
found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they worshipped him and
opening their treasures they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh.” Mt. 2:11
Today we
celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. The Church commemorates the
manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles
in the person of Three Magi from the
East who represent all the nations of the world. Dom Prosper Gueranger in his
book, The Liturgical Year Vol. 3, comments on today’s feast: “Oh! the greatness of this glorious Day, on
which begins the movement of all nations towards the Church, the true
Jerusalem! Oh! the mercy of our heavenly
Father, who has been mindful of all these people that were buried in the shades
of death and sin! Behold! the glory of the lord has risen upon the Holy City; and Kings set
out to find and see the Light. Jerusalem is not large enough to hold all this
sea of nations; another city must be founded, and towards her shall be turned
the countless Gentiles of Median and
Epha. Thou, O Rome! art this Holy City, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged. Heretofore thy victories
have won thee slaves; but from this day forward, thou shalt draw within thy
walls countless children. Lift up thine eyes and see—all these, that is the
whole human race, give themselves to thee as thy sons and daughters; they come
to receive from thee new birth. Open wide thine arms and embrace them that come
from North and South bringing gold and
frankincense to him who is thy King
and ours.” Gueranger, p. 122 What great mysteries are revealed in the Word of God today! First, we
have the fulfilment of several Messianic prophecies, and next we have the call
of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God.
Glory of the Lord Revealed to the Gentiles
In today’s Epistle
(Is.
60: 1-6) the prophet Isaiah tells Jerusalem to rise because a
great light has come: “Arise,
be enlightened, O Jerusalem; for the light has come, and the glory of the Lord
is risen upon thee.” Is.
60:1 Not only will the inhabitants
of Israel see the great light, but so will all the
nations of the world: “All they
from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and showing forth
praise to the Lord.” Is. 60:6 This great light is also prophesied by the
pagan prophet Balaam in the Book of Numbers: “A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall spring up from
Israel.” Nu. 24:17 This theme of
all nations adoring the Messiah is seen in today’s Offertory Antiphon: “And
all the Kings of Earth shall adore Him, all nations shall serve him.” Ps. 71:11
The Call of the Gentiles
St. Paul also
gives us the same theme: The Lord Jesus
Christ has come for all nations and people.
For St. Paul this is the revelation of a great mystery hidden from other
times. It is now fully revealed in the
person of Jesus Christ: “That
the Gentiles are joint heirs, and fellow members of the same body, and joint
partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Eph. 3:6
The Magi Believe in the Light of Christ
The account of
the Magi by St. Matthew in today’s Gospel (Mt. 2:1-12) reveals much
of the mystery of the revelation to the
Gentiles. First of all, the Magi are
pagan astrologers who by their faith are a contrast to the doubting Jews who possess
all the prophecies about the Christ but still do not believe. The Magi have
followed the star to Jerusalem in the hope of seeing the royal king. The priests can tell them and Herod that the king of the prophecy will be born in Bethlehem, but the priests choose not to believe the
prophecy. Thus, they cannot claim that they knew nothing of his coming since they inform the Magi where he is to be born. Even Herod, the wicked king acknowledges his
birth: “…when you have found him bring
me word, that I too may go and worship him.” Mt. 2:8
The Jews have no excuse for not believing for they have all the prophets
to tell them the truth. Ironically, the
pagan Magi have only their one prophet Balaam, and yet they believe. Only the Magi see the light of Christ’s star.
Christ is the bright and morning star arising in the East. When the Magi turned
to Jerusalem for guidance, they lost the star.
When they left Jerusalem and Herod, a symbol for the loss of faith, they
regained the star and found Christ, the true light.
“…and
falling down, they worshipped him.”
Mt.
2:11
Having
failed to find Christ where the earthly King reigned, the Magi found Him in
poverty in the stable in Bethlehem. The
Magi thus realize the fulfilment of two prophecies. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, and He
shall be given gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh:
“The Kings of the Arabian and Saba shall bring gifts.” Ps.
71:10. St. John Chrysostom comments on
these gifts: “For by gold the power of a
king is signified, by frankincense the honour of God, by myrrh the burial of the body; and
accordingly they gave Him gold as king, frankincense as God and myrrh as man.”
“They
went back to their own country by another way.” Mt. 2:12
One
final point is important for understanding the story of the Magi. They were warned in a dream about
Herod’s evil intentions so they returned to their own homes by another route.
Once they had seen the true light of Christ, their lives changed.
They recognized the wickedness of
Herod, and the ignorance and the lack of faith of the Jews. They returned to their own country to tell
all about the great things that they had
seen, especially, the fulfilment of the prophecy on the star which “shall
rise out of Jacob.” Num. 24:17 Their trip would bear fruit in the future
when the Apostles taught all nations. Notwithstanding this time of waiting until Christ’s death and resurrection was preached to all nations, the
visit of the Magi, who are the canonized
saints Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, is still another example of how God was
preparing His people for His coming. God
was surrounding the birth of His Son with extraordinary events such as angels singing for poor shepherds and a star guiding the
Magi from distant lands.
Be Imitators of the Three Wise Men
Let us imitate the faith and hope
of the Magi who obey the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and leave their
homeland to go to a far country. Let us
bring to the Infant Jesus the gold of our charity, the frankincense of our
adoration and prayer, and the myrrh of suffering and sacrifice. Let us also
fall down and adore our God who is so humble as to be born as a babe in a lowly stable. Let us
think about all these events of this Christmas season when we pray the Joyful
Mysteries of the rosary especially the
third mystery of the Birth of Jesus who
is adored and honoured by the Gentile world with gifts of gold for His royalty,
frankincense for His divinity and myrrh for His humanity. We too can say with them and to Mary, His
Mother, “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” Lk. 1:42 Let us not imitate the Herods of this world
who, although they know the truth of God’s identity, are intent on destroying
the life of the new-born King of the Jews.
Let us not imitate the modern-day Herods in the culture of death who also abort the many babies whose
lives are the Father’s gift to our world
as a blessing for humanity.
White Flower Appeal
Next Sunday, 10 January 2016 we will have a collection at the chapel door
after Mass for the The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).
This organization performs a most
(if not, the most) important work in our society today. It protects the lives of unborn
children. Do all that you can to help
this most deserving organization!
“Life, What A Beautiful Choice!
“
“God
loves a cheerful giver.” II Cor. 9:7
God will never be outdone in
generosity.
Epiphany Saints and Protectors
As in the
past, we will have the drawing of
saints after Mass today in St. Joseph’s Hall. This special
drawing of Patron Saints, Virtues, Names
of Our Lady, and Spiritual Maxims will help us live holy lives in the coming
year. We will have the special guidance
of all these holy patrons and virtues and Our Lady throughout the year.
How to attend Holy Mass
“The Holy Mass is a prayer itself, even the
highest prayer that exists. It is the sacrifice, dedicated by our Redeemer at
the Cross, and repeated every day on the altar.
If you wish to hear Mass, as it should be heard, you must follow with
eye, heart, and mouth all that happens at the altar. Further, you must pray
with the Priest the holy words said by him in the Name of Christ and which
Christ says by him. You have to
associate your heart with the holy feelings which are contained in these words,
and in this manner you ought to follow all that happens at the altar. When
acting in this way, you have prayed Holy Mass.”
His Holiness, Pope St. Pius X
