THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Matthew 2:1-12
The Epiphany is known in the Eastern Christian tradition as Theophany. In it, we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus as divine and as the Saviour of the world. is a very traditional feast. The gospel of Matthew catches our attention with the marvellous story of the Magi, considered kings by tradition. They came from the East, looking for “the infant king of the Jews”. In Jerusalem, the old but all-powerful king Herod was sitting on the throne. Hearing about a newborn king, he was alarmed and distressed, shivering at the thought that someone somewhere in his kingdom was plotting against him. Canny as he was, Herod planned to deceive the magi and do away with the threat posed by a child.
While people came from afar to encounter the Messiah and recognise him as such, those in Jerusalem, instead of showing interest in him, felt threatened by him and decided to get rid of him. This rejection at the beginning is already an announcement of the future rejection that would end in the crucifixion. In the introduction to his gospel, John presents the same rejection: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (Jn 1:11).
The Magi, or wise men, stand for the gentiles, that is for all of us who are not Jews. They stand for all those who strive for salvation and are in search of the Saviour. Tradition has made kings of the Magi, but most probably they were not kings. They were people in search of the truth, which is the way to redemption and life. Wealth was not important to them. And they set out guided by a star, that is by an ideal. Along the road, they found problems and difficulties that obscured the star, but they did not give up. When lost, they looked for help. All of us need help and those who refuse to ask and receive help will end up by the roadside.
The star is Jesus himself, he who is the Light of the world. To find the way, we must be guided by that light as the Magi were. Little by little, he draws us to himself. When they reached the end of their journey, “they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.” They worshipped Jesus, recognising him as the Son of God and offered him the best they had to offer.
The story of the Magi teaches us an essential truth of our faith, the same truth Paul speaks about in his letter to the Ephesians: “it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.”
Let us give thanks and praise to God for calling us and leading us to his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world. May we recognise and adore him as the Magi did.
No comments:
Post a Comment