Homily for Epiphany Sunday, January 3, 2021. Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12. Theme: The Fourth Magi?
Today is the great feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, second only to Christmas Day as a major celebration of the season. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning manifestation, a realization that something that had been hidden from us is now being made known. In Christianity, epiphany means the revelation that in Jesus we behold our Lord, God and Savior come to us in person, come to us in the flesh. Throughout the life of Christ, from Christmas to Easter, various expressions of this epiphany are present in one form or another. The full identity of Jesus is made known at his Baptism, at the Transfiguration, through his power over nature and demons, by his miracles and healings, and most of all in his glorious Resurrection.
And the questions that the epiphany always asks of us are primarily two: First, how do I, personally, respond to the revelation that Jesus Christ is God-with-us, God-become-one-of-us? And second, what effect does it have or can it have on my life? Everyone who encounters Jesus must face these questions sooner or later, there is no getting around it. It seems to me that we can find in today’s Gospel story three possible responses to this epiphany or revelation about Jesus Christ.
I see the first type of response in the reaction of King Herod when he learns about the Newborn Messiah. He was a very wicked man whose jealousy and thirst for power had led him to kill one of his wives and several of his sons who were threats to his throne. So, it was no surprise that he would order the slaughter of the young boys of Bethlehem in an attempt to get rid of this Newborn King of the Jews. Herod’s response to Jesus was rooted in selfishness and sin. He thought only of himself and cared only about his own status and situation in life. The treasures of his heart were power, prestige and privilege. His response to the epiphany is rejection of a perceived threat.
A second type of response can be found in the religious leaders whom Herod called to advise him. They knew the Scriptures very well. They were, after all, professional clergy and scholars of their day. They knew well the prophecies about the Messiah. Yet when the news reaches them they do nothing at all to investigate if this is true. They stay put rather than go to Bethlehem, which is only a few miles away, and see for themselves if their long-hoped for dreams of the Messiah have come true. Their response to the epiphany was a complacent yawn. They were comfortable as they were. Happy with life as they knew it. They didn’t want anyone - not even God himself whom they were pledged to serve - to disrupt their status quo.
The third type of response to the revelation about Jesus can be seen in the Magi themselves. They were utterly intrigued, captivated, by the quest to find the One whom the star represented. They invested a lot of themselves, their time and energy, in their study of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, in mapping out their route to Jerusalem, in gathering up supplies as well as the precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their response to the epiphany was the total desire and heartfelt determination to search for God no matter what it required. The goal of their lives was to bow down in homage before the Newborn Divine King.
Why such different responses to the epiphany of Jesus Christ? I think that the answer is found deep within each one of them, deep within each one of us; in the secret hopes, dreams and treasures of the heart. The Child of the Epiphany would grow up to warn us that these treasures of the heart would either free us to live in God’s Kingdom or enslave us to life of selfishness and misery, here and hereafter. And so, we must honestly ask ourselves: what and where is our treasure?
Are we like Herod and have our hearts fixed only upon ourselves and see others primarily through the lens of what they can do and be for us? Our culture promotes and even applauds the clever and the powerful who trample on others in order to get what they have. Such people keep alive the Herod-attitude and the epiphany of Jesus to them is a threat to their self-focused lives.
Others are like the religious leaders and scholars. Life may not be perfect or anything like what they had hoped for, but at least it’s something, and as they say, something is better than nothing. They don’t want to step out of their comfort zone. They don’t want to be disturbed out of their safe and secure routine, not even by the Word of God. Responding to the message of the Epiphany is scary so their hearts are not open to the risk of what encountering the long-hoped for Messiah might mean in their lives.
But then there are those like the Magi, who acknowledge that it is God and not self that is the center of the universe. They are those who know that a complacent life is not a truly happy life. They have experienced how empty they can be inside, and know that there is something more which they seek. They have hearts that yearn for wholeness and lives that thirst for real meaning. Like the Magi, they are utterly intrigued, captivated, by the quest to find the One whom the star represented and who can answer the deepest questions of the heart. And so, they are willing to do whatever is necessary to find the Christ, the Promised One whom the prophets called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace.
As we celebrate the Epiphany at the beginning of a new year, let’s ask the Lord for the grace to answer this question honestly: what is my personal response to the epiphany, the revelation of Jesus Christ as King, God and Savior of my life? Am I eager and willing to do whatever it takes to truly know him up close and personal? Am I willing to go the extra mile in prayer and service to others to deepen my relationship with him? Is the light of Christ like a bright shining star that guides my steps and enlightens the journey of my life? I guess this could all be summed up in one basic question: Am I eager and willing to become the fourth Magi?
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