Epiphany of the Lord: What is the greatest gift of all?

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. This is a sign that our Christmas season will soon be ending. Many of us have given and received gifts in celebration of Jesus’ birth. We’ve had a few weeks to enjoy them. What’s the best gift that you received this Christmas.  Was it a toy, video game, clothing or jewelry?  Why was this your favorite gift?   What did the gift mean or do for you?  I think the greatest gift we’ve received this Christmas is God humbling himself to become one of us, being born as a little baby to Mary and his stepfather Joseph.  He came to us a gave the greatest gift or all, Eternal life, to those who come to believe in him. We have special gift that we can give to Jesus in celebration of his birth: our faith that he is the Son of God.    

The Magi we hear about today give us an example of this faith and honoring Jesus with their best gifts. The Magi were a special priestly class who were thought to have supernatural knowledge by interpreting the stars.   They were a people seeking something greater.  The Magi, who were Gentiles, those outside of the Jewish faith, came to Jerusalem to find a newborn king of the Jews.  They were people far from God, but were led to the people who were supposed to be close to God, to find Jesus. When King Herod, the King of the Jews, heard this, it was a threat to his power.  To deter this threat, he turned to the scribes and priests to ascertain where the new king was to be born.  He told this to magi so they could lead Herod to him.  Herod told them to return once they found him so he could pay homage, but he really wanted to kill him. This was the first instance of Jewish authorities seeking to harm Jesus and will continue throughout his life.  It’s interesting that the people far from God were led to seek out Jesus, but those close to God wanted to do him harm. The star directing the Magi to find the newborn king was a sign that Jesus came for all people.   He came for all of us!

 The Magi traveled to Bethlehem and were led by the star directly to the place where Jesus was.  This

was the divine action of God seeking out the Magi.  When the Magi encountered Jesus, they prostrated in homage before him.  This is an action of humility, by lying face down on the ground in reverence.There must have been something very powerful in the presence of Jesus that overcame the Magi to evoke such an action.  These Magi saw an ordinary little baby with his parents in very humble surroundings, but by faith they were compelled to worship him as a divine king.  In response their faith led them to give Jesus their best gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  After this encounter they were warned not to return to Herod.  Their faith in Jesus opened the eyes of their heart, and they were led to go another way to proclaim the newborn Messiah to the Gentiles.  

 Our response to Jesus, can be like the Magi, through our faith in him as our Lord and Savior.   We encounter Jesus each time we come to Mass.  We see ordinary bread and wine.   In faith we believe that Jesus’ Real Presence is contained in the Eucharist.   Like the Magi, Jesus seeks us out, to be with us. He comes in the Eucharist so we can receive him as food to nourish us spiritually.  Like the Magi, we show our reverence bowing to receive him. Our Catholic faith professes that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.  He truly came in time to become one of us and offered his life in sacrifice to give us eternal life.   He continues to be with us through his Real Presence in the Eucharist.  

Like the star that guided the Magi, we have a light in every Catholic Church that guides us to Jesus. This light perpetually burns as a sign of Christ’s presence and is like the star that led the Magi to Jesus. We can be present with the Lord in any of our churches by seeking out the tabernacle and kneeling in humble adoration of Jesus. There are some people, even those who are Catholic, who struggle with faith in Jesus and his Real Presence in the Eucharist.   If you know of anyone like this, please share your own faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. There is nothing better than personal testimony from someone you are close to. Also consider inviting them to activities we have planned to prepare for the Eucharistic Revival being held in Indianapolis this summer. We have three Eucharistic revival small groups that will be meeting for seven weeks starting in January. There are also weekly and monthly holy hours to spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration other parishes throughout the South Deanery.  Consider attending one of those holy hours and invite a friend to join you. When Jesus’ Eucharistic presence is exposed in adoration, it does something to you, eliciting a response of reverence and awe that the God of the universe is with you. These are great opportunities to develop and strengthen our faith in Jesus. So as the Christmas season comes to an end, let’s remember to be thankful for greatest gift we’ve received, the gift of Jesus, and to share that gift with others to bring them the light of faith.