THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Matthew 2:1-12
The Epiphany, also known as the Feast of Kings, is the feast in which we celebrate God’s offer of salvation to all peoples. The Magi or Wise men represent the Gentiles - that is people from all nations - who were attracted to the Lord and found in him meaning for their lives.
Matthew presents a clear contrast between the people of Israel embodied in their leaders - King Herod, the chief priests and the scribes of the people - and the wise men who came from the East.
The people of Israel had forgotten the experience of the Exodus and were unable to recognise the signs of the Lord’s presence. That’s why they got worried and were perturbed by the news of the birth of the Messiah. For them, that infant king was a big threat and they were ready to do everything to get rid of him. The Wise Men had a completely different attitude. They were people who paid attention to what was new, allowing themselves to be challenged, even if they did not know where that would take them. They were in search of the truth and for salvation. This search led them to a big journey - the journey that would change their lives forever. This journey is the journey of faith, in which we go forward, through difficulties and uncertainties. It is as if we move aimlessly. Will we arrive? Where and when? Is there anything else beyond the journey itself? Certainly, in their long journey from the East, the Wise Men felt tired and discouraged, but they went on searching, guided by the star, which dispelled the darkness of their travelling. At certain moments, they had nothing else to guide them but the immense desire to arrive. It seems that the journey became more and more difficult as they approached the end of their journey. The star disappeared, but their effort and commitment to the search. Lost, they inquired from the ones who were supposed to know. We may get help even from those who are enemies and who behave like the anti-Christ. Finally, they arrived and met the child with his mother Mary. It was the fulfilment of a dream. And they prostrated themselves in worship, offering the “gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.”.
Today is a day of thanksgiving to God for his love and mercy. The Feast of Epiphany is the celebration of this great mystery: “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.” (Ep 3:5-6)
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