Cycle B - Year I:  

3 January 2021: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 60:1-6

Second Reading:   Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 2:1-12

"The Lord's Epiphany: God is visible!"

On the first Sunday of the New Year 2021, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

Let us start with a biblical trivia:  Recall that this Feast is used to be known as the Feast of the Three Kings celebrated on a fixed date of January 6.  Now, it is known as the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, which is celebrated either on January 6, if it falls on a Sunday, or the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.  This year it falls on January 3.

So, what do we understand by the word "epiphany"?  Well, "epiphany" means manifestation.  So what the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of the Lord to the whole world; after being made known first to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi, or the Three Kings, who have come from the East to adore Him. Thus, the importance of epiphany is that the young Messiah is revealed as the light of the nations.  Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.

In the Lord's epiphany we can 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, meaning to the 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.

Now, the journey of the Three Kings is admittedly one of the favorite stories in the Gospel.  A heavenly star started them on the journey and guided them to the place where the Lord was born.  We 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 names to these three kings as Melchor (believed to be a Babylonian scholar), Caspar (a Persian scholar), and Balthazar (an Arab scholar).

The gifts that the three kings brought to the infant Jesus have symbolic significance to the divine identity and mission of our Lord 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 speak of the three kings' respect of Jesus' divine identity and the realism about His death at the hands of humankind.

But what is the relevance of the Feast of Epiphany on our lives today?  Let us consider the following reflections:

The Lord's epiphany tells us that God becomes visible and audible for us in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the human image of the invisible God.  So that even to our generation we actually experience God living among us and within us in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

The Lord's 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 a the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." (Jn 14:6)

The Lord's 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.

Let us pray that the examples of the Three Kings be our guide in our own spiritual pilgrimage in this New Year 2021.  Because we, too, acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and do Him homage.  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 one and only Catholic Church.

Finally, because the three kings brought gifts to Baby Jesus, today by tradition is also considered the last day of sharing Christmas gifts to our loved ones, if we haven't done this yet.

A blessed Feast of the Lord's Epiphany to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!