Cycle C - Year II:
2 January 2022: Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany
(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: Behold, the Mighty One!
We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany, which is more popularly known as Three Kings. According to tradition it is the last chance to receive Christmas gifts, in case none was received on Christmas Day.
Let us understand the significance of today's feast. The word "epiphany" means manifestation or appearance of God in person like us through the humanity of Jesus our Lord. Thus, in the Lord's Epiphany we see the plan of God to give His only Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jews who are God's chosen people in the Old Testament, but to all nations as well. It is significant that the three kings were foreigners and so non-Jews. So that the implication of today's feast is that our Lord Jesus Christ comes to both the Jews and the Gentiles (or non-Jews), including our present generation of believers in Christ that all may find true and lasting peace with God Almighty.
The Bible's account of the journey of the three kings (also referred to as Magi, or Wise Men) is one of the favorite stories in the Gospel even in our youth. It is a story of journey of life, of guidance on the way, of delight in finding faith and God. A bright star started the three kings on their journey and guided them to the end of their destination where they found the infant Jesus. So also with our own faith, the star which we share at baptism is the promise of God to guide us through our journey in this life.
St. Matthew narrates 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 for the three kings as Melchor (believed to be a Babylonian scholar), Caspar (a Persian scholar), and Balthazar (an Arab scholar). These three kings brought gifts to the baby Jesus, so today by tradition is also considered the last day of sharing Christmas gifts to our loved ones.
Now, the gifts of the three kings have symbolic significance to the divine identity and mission of Jesus: gold has great value which 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 which brought about salvation of the whole humanity. These gifts that the three kings 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 the Lord's Epiphany in 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 sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Epiphany makes know 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 peoples of all generations.
Let us pray that the examples of the three kings be our guide in our own spiritual pilgrimage in the New Year 2022. May the wisdom of these three Wise Men guide us in our search for true leaders in Election 2022. And like them, we too acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and do Him homage. May the Lord's revelation or epiphany shine on everyone so that the gift of salvation may be shared by all.
Happy Feast of the Lord's Epiphany to everyone. And thank you for a moment with God.
Ad Jesum per Mariam!
