Feast of Epiphany: Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Today, we are celebrating Epiphany Sunday.  It’s a Greek word and it literally means to draw back the veil, or bring into the open something hidden or invisible. And whenever you hear of epiphanies in the Gospel, it means that God is drawing back the veil that covers a great mystery and all of us are given a peek into this mystery, able to understand much more about who God is and who we are.

At one time in the church, there were only two holy days of obligation, very special in the eyes of all the people. One of course was Easter, the Resurrection, and the other was not Christmas, it was the feast that we celebrate today: the Feast of the Epiphany. The Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6, on the feast of Epiphany and so Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire to celebrate their Christmas.

The purpose of the Feast of Epiphany, which had its beginning in the Eastern Church during the 3rd century, was to commemorate how the glory of Christ was revealed to the Gentiles. The revelation of Jesus took place in many ways: in the visitation of the Magi; in the Baptism of Jesus; in the miracles of Jesus and through every word and action of Jesus.

The First Reading from the Book of Isaiah speaks of a prophecy that was made approximately seven hundred years prior to the birth of Jesus. In those days the Israelites were rejoicing because after years of captivity, they were finally allowed to return to the holy city of Jerusalem. The prophecy of Isaiah gave them hope that the promised Messiah would soon rise among the people and that His glory would be seen by all.

The prophecy of Isaiah concluded with the words, "They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord." [Is. 60:6] These words echoed the gifts that the three wise men from the East [Mt. 2:1-2, 9-11] brought to Jesus in adoration after following the shining star in the sky.

 These wise men were convinced that stars told a story to tell. They had never seen a new star like that before. The ancients believed that great heroes and great people had stars or even constellations looking down on them. This new star had to belong to the greatest of people. The star was moving.  So the Magi set off from their lands in the East on a journey.  They were convinced that the star they saw announced a new king who would be the King of Kings.                     

The Magi’s long journey was nearly complete near a big palace. However, they were disappointed when they could not find the Baby in the beauty and luxury of that royal palace, as they had expected. But when they came out of the luxury of the palace of Herod they found the star again and were able to find the King.

If we’re looking, the signs of God’s presence are all around us, as much outside the church as inside. God is there in the trees and ocean and sky...in the deer and the geese and everywhere. God is in the labour room and the funeral home. We all meet God in different ways and at different times and places in our lives. Pope Benedict once told, there are as many ways to reach God as the number of people in the world.

The feast of Epiphany has another important message which is explained by Paul in the second reading. The mystery is simply this: "the Gentiles are coheirs with the Jews, members of the same body, and copartners of the promise of Christ in the gospel." The wise men came from the East. They were pagan astrologers called to the manger, called to faith. Their journey is our journey to faith. The Epiphany is the celebration of our being equal to the very people chosen to be the physical ancestors of the human nature of our Lord.

This was certainly difficult for the Jewish people of the first century to understand. They normally referred to those who were not Jews, the Gentiles, as dogs. It was mind-boggling for them to think that God would consider the Gentiles their equals. The Jews were the chosen people. Would God include others in His Plan for their salvation? Yes, the Epiphany tells us, this was always God's plan. He never intended to be the God for only one portion of mankind. Even more, all people would be co-heirs of the Grace of Christ. It was difficult for Jewish Christians to buy into the message of the Epiphany. It is clear from Peter’s refusal to eat with Gentile Christians when Jewish Christians were around. It was also difficult for many Christians of superior cultures across the world. The Church had to outgrow that mentality very slowly. Up until a hundred years ago Irish and German Christians in this area were not ready to worship together. In India also one time we had in several places two churches separated by a wall, one for the higher Caste and the other for lower Caste Christians.

We Catholics do not have the right to assume a spiritual superiority over any members of our faith whose background may be different than ours, or whose history in the Church might be shorter than ours. The Gentile Magi’s visit to the manger is a warning to remove kind of mentality.

Today God has set a star in our life, that star is our conscience. We have to follow that star. Maybe he has been nudging our conscience, telling us to break off an unhealthy relationship or to take the first step to heal a broken one. Maybe he has been inviting us to follow our true vocation, maybe to the priesthood or the consecrated life. Maybe he has been warning us to be more faithful to a particular relationship or responsibility. Only you and God know which star he has been pointing out. Sometimes we are afraid to follow it. And at Holy Communion, let's pray for all those people who have stopped following it, or who still haven’ t seen it. 

Each of us knows someone who has lost sight of the star. Maybe they are finding it hard to accept one of the Church's teachings. Maybe they are facing suffering and loss. Maybe they are stuck in sin and are drifting further away from the light. Whatever their specific situation, they need to be reminded that God is faithful, and that only by following him can our life journey be successful.

This week it is our turn to remind someone else. During this Mass, let's ask God to tell us who it is, and when we receive him in Holy Communion let's promise to remind them this week that God can be trusted, and that it's worth following the star.