Cycle A - Year I:  

8 January 2017: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

(Liturgical color: White)

Gospel: Please read  Matthew 2:1-12

The Lord's Epiphany: Salvation comes to all!

Although it is not likely....if you miss receiving gifts last Christmas, well cheer up because today, the Feast of the Lord's Epiphany, or traditionally known as the Feast of the Three Kings, may just be your last chance to receive Christmas gifts from dear someone. So make  your wish... upon a star.

The word "epiphany" means manifestation or appearance of God in person like us through the humanity of Jesus. In the Lord's epiphany we see the plan of God to give His only Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jewish people, who are God's chosen people in the Old Testament, but to all nations as well.  Because the three kings were foreigners and non-Jews. Thus, the implication of today's feast is that the Lord Jesus comes to both the Jews and the Gentiles (or non-Jews), including our present generation of believers in Christ, so that all may find true and lasting peace with God.

The journey of the three kings (or Magi, or Wise Men) is one of the

favorite stories in the Gospel. A star started them on the journey and guided them to the end. We will read from Matthew's narrative about the three kings looking for the infant Jesus in order to pay Him homage with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Western Church has assigned them the names of Melchor (believed to be a Babylonian scholar), Caspar (a Persian scholar), and Balthazar (an Arab scholar).  Because these three kings brought gifts to the baby Jesus, by tradition today is also considered the last day of sharing Christmas gifts to our loved ones.

The gifts of the three kings have symbolic significance to the divine identity and mission of Jesus. That is to say, gold has great value which then symbolizes the kingship of Jesus. Frankincense is a perfume, and the symbol of the divinity of Jesus. And myrrh is a common anointing oil which symbolizes the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross that brought about salvation of the whole humanity. These gifts they brought to the infant Jesus speak of their respect for His divine identity and the realism about His death at the hands of humankind.

What is the relevance of the Feast of Epiphany to our lives today? Let us consider the following reflections:

Epiphany tells us that God became visible and audible for us in the person of Jesus, who is the human image of the invisible God. So that even to our generation we experience God living among us and within us in the Holy Eucharist.

Epiphany makes known to us the way to the Father through Jesus Christ. He leads our path in our journey in this present life to our heavenly home. As Jesus Himself declares: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:6)

Epiphany reveals to us God's plan for all men and women to be saved, from the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve, by believing that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Because God's kingdom is meant for all people of all generations.

In sum, as we conclude our celebration of the Christmas season, we pray that the examples of the three kings be our guide in our own spiritual pilgrimage in the New Year 2017. Like them, we too acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and do Him homage. And like the three kings, we also open our gifts of unwavering faith, amidst the temptation of "religion by convenience" in our present generation, and commit our undivided loyalty to Christ's teaching through His Church.

A blessed Three King's Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!