Homily for the Epiphany, Cycle B, January 7, 2018

Today is the feast of the Epiphany.   This is not a word that we hear every day. Epiphany is defined as a moment of sudden revelation or insight.  Have you ever had a problem you were dealing with and had an “ah ha!” moment, when you finally figured it out?  It usually happens when we understand something in a new way that changes our perspective.  The magi’s encounter with the Christ child was an Epiphany changing their hearts and minds to go another way.

The magi came in search of the newborn king of the Jews.   Who are the magi? They were a Persian priestly caste who were astrologers, those who studied stars to find meaning in them.  They were also considered “wise” and sought out for their knowledge by kings. What meaning in the stars would have prompted them to set out on a journey?   Historical sources of the time speculated that a new ruler of the world would emerge from Judah.  There must have been trouble in their own lands that prompted them to seek out a new leader in hope of finding peace. 

We have a similar situation today in the world where the powerful are threatened by Jesus and do they can to remove any reference to him.

Public displays of the Nativity or Ten Commandments are constantly being challenged in the courts.  The powerful want to be in control and feel threatened by God. We are troubled as well. The magi were not just ordinary men. They were the seekers of truth found in every age. 

The magi reached Judea and went to King Herod to ask where the newborn king was. This troubled Herod.   Herod was a paranoid and evil king. History tells us he even murdered his own sons to protect his power. Herod’s inherent evil prompts him to use the magi to find the newborn king. He tells them he wants to pay homage to this new king, but he really wants get rid of him.

After the magi’s encounter with Herod they set out to find the newborn king following the rising star that stopped over the place where the child was. The prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading speaks of this:

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.

There are some people, who doubt the appearance of this star that guided the magi.  Modern astronomers have concluded an alignment of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars at the time of Jesus’ birth that could have appeared as a very bright star.  Exactly how the star came to rest directly above Christ’s birthplace, may be in question, but we need to keep in mind that it wasn’t the star that determined magi’s destiny to find the child. It was the child, The Son of God and Creator of the Universe, who directed the star, for the magi to find Him.

The magi where overjoyed when they saw the star.  Upon entering the house, they prostrated when they encountered the baby Jesus. To prostrate, is to lay

face down totally flat ground on the ground. Now just think about this. Can you imagine these highly revered men lying face down on the ground on dirty floor of a stable where animals lived, ate, and did other things? They must have been totally awed at the presence of the infant Jesus, and felt compelled to give reverence due to divine king. The gifts they offered Jesus, gold, frankincense, and myrrh were also fit for a divine king, their absolute best. Tradition holds that the gold offered represented the kingship of Christ, the frankincense His divinity, and myrrh, for anointing of a royal body to preserve it upon death, represented Christ’s Passion.   Do we reverence Christ in the same way as the magi when we encounter him?  Are the gifts we bring Him our best?

Our Gospel concludes with the magi being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, but to go by another way to their own countries.  We’ve heard a lot about God sending messages in dreams the last few weeks. 

Mary, Joseph, and now the magi hear from God in dreams.  We can only listen to God if we are still and quiet enough to hear him.  After the magi’s personal encounter with Jesus they must have had an Epiphany in the quiet of their dreams that true peace wasn’t to be found in the ways of the world, which Herod represents.  True peace could only be found in the Christ child. The magi who came seeking truth, were Gentiles, represents Jesus coming for everyone, regardless of race or origin.   They represent a new beginning for us, a journey of humanity to Christ.

The magi give us a good model.   They followed the star to find the newborn king. In their personal encounter they give Him homage and their best gifts.  Finally, they listen to God in prayer to change their lives to follow him.  

We also do the same ourselves.  When we come to Mass we are overjoyed when we see the tabernacle light, the Star of Bethlehem, indicating the presence of Christ. We show homage to Him when we genuflect to the tabernacle upon entering, kneel during the Eucharistic prayer, and bowing in receiving the Eucharist. At the presentation of the gifts we offer the gold of our acts of kindness we’ve done through the week.  The frankincense of efforts in school or at work to build up the Kingdom of God.  The myrrh of mercy we give to comfort those who are suffering, through our presence and prayers.  We even journey like the magi to spend time with Jesus in one of the perpetual adoration chapels we have in our area.  Finally, we listen to him in quiet prayer, to have own Epiphany daily, to go another way to follow Christ.