Feast of The EPIPHANY of the Lord

A Happy New Year to everyone and may it be truly blessed for you and those near and dear to you. May the newborn Saviour bring you safely and fruitfully through the year that lies ahead.

What was the best gift you received at Christmas just past? I hope there was one that really pleased you, either because it was what you really wanted or because of who gave the gift.

Today’s feast is about Christmas gifts, but this time for Jesus. We have this wonderful image of the people from the East following a star to find the new born King. They go to where they suppose a King would be born – Jerusalem. There they meet King Herod who is utterly startled to hear that there is a newborn King on the scene. Herod can see redundancy on the tracks ahead with poor employment prospects for an ex-King.

But it is not to a great capital city that the star leads these wise people (Magi) when they leave Herod. It is to a humble and small place called Bethlehem where the star finally comes to a stop. In they go and find the newborn King not on a throne but wrapped in swaddling clothes with Mary and Joseph.

The next thing they do is wonderful – they fall on their knees and do him homage. Just imagine the pomp and ceremony when they met Herod with his soldiers and attendants. Here there is a lovely holy family with no trappings of royalty. This is God on earth in the form of a new born baby. It is a great scene to pray about and to remember that God is often found in the small acts of care, love and support and not just in the big events that occur.

The visitors to Jesus now open their treasures and offer him gifts. This is Jesus’ Christmas morning when the gifts arrive. Many parts of the world see today’s mystery as their Christmas celebration and you can understand why this is so. Back to the gifts Jesus gets!

Gold is the gift for a king. In ancient times no one could approach the King without a gift. When heads of state come to visit the Pope gifts are exchanged. Jesus gets this gold and in turn gives us, his children, a golden rule. Never rule by force but by love. Never forget that people have feelings and their heart can be easily broken. Jesus rules not from a throne but from a Cross.

Frankincense is the gift for a priest. At the temple worship and at temple sacrifices the sweet perfume of frankincense was used. The Latin word for priest is pontifex which means a bridge-builder. Jesus is the High Priest building a bridge between people and their God. Through Jesus we can enter into the very presence of God.

Myrrh is the gift for one who is to die. It is sad, is it not, that at His birth a gift for death is given? Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. In a strange sort of way, this gift is not out of place at Bethlehem because Jesus came on earth to love us out of our sins and the price was going to be the Cross. So, not only the Birth of Jesus but also Hid death is part of the revelation of God that is the Feast of the Epiphany. Enjoy your gifts!

Aidan Troy, C.P. [Aodhán ó Troighthigh, C.P.]