The Epiphany of the Lord (January 5, 2014)

First reading: Is. 60: 1-6

“Rise up in splendor!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.  Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.  Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.  Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.  Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.”

Second reading: Eph. 3: 2-3a, 5-6

“If, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, [namely, that] the mystery was made known to me by revelation.  (It) was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”


Gospel reading: Mt. 2: 1-12

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews?  We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’  When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’

“Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘God and search diligently for the child.  When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.  After their audience with the king they set out.  And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.  They were overjoyed as seeking the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.  They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”

 

Introductory theme summary:

Clearly, the gospel reading validates the Old Testament reading’s prophetic foretelling of the coming of the Messiah/Savior, with the second reading explaining the hidden nature of understanding that message in ancient times.  What isn’t as clear is the full significance of the descriptions of the coming Messiah and how the peoples will respond to his coming, which can actually be seen, now, as fulfilled.

Reflection:

The specific descriptions of note are:

·         Rise up in splendor!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. – This is a direct instruction to the Messiah at the point of his ministry.  It validates his dignity and guides him to become known to God’s people rather than remain of lowly disposition. 

·         See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples. – This makes reference to the people’s complete lack of awareness of God’s plan to save them from their sins by delivering them from its consequence of death.

·         But upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory – this indicates that those who will come to believe will also realize the full dignity of the Messiah’s divine nature.

·         Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. – The knowledge the Messiah will impart to the world will become the basis for the values by which governments and their leaders will shape their nations.

·         Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. – From the very beginning till the ends of the earth all peoples will come to God through the Messiah’s gift of salvation.

·         Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, - Their response will move the Lord to the profoundest love for all humanity.

·         For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. – Your legacy (the Catholic Church) will become the recipient of the greatest treasures of the earth.

·         Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. – Even in your own time those who believe in you will give you precious gifts, which likely served as a validation for him.

This validation doesn’t simply confirm the existence of God, or his incomprehensible love for all humanity.  It also confirms the real consequence of death for sin.  Were such a consequence not real, would God bother to humble himself so by becoming human to save us from a consequence that didn’t exist?

Come, let us accept the reality of sin, and the need to repent our sins, in order to enter into the wonderful loving reconciliation won for us by Christ our Savior.