Every Day is a Day of Epiphany

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Epiphany means manifestation, a showing or an appearance. Kings in the ancient world often showed themselves to their subjects at various times of the year. He often brought gifts or presents that he or his emissaries handed out to the crowds that came to greet and meet the king. In Matthew’s gospel, those men who came to see Jesus are described as magi. Originally, magi identified the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians. Today, the word magi are synonymous with the Three Wise Men or Three Kings. They go hand-in-hand. Though they are described as three wise men or three kings, we, in fact, don’t know for sure if any of these recognitions apply to them. Be that as it may, the three magi or the wise men came from the East to do homage to the infant Jesus. Their traditional names handed down to us are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. The Story of the Magi is unique to Matthew’s gospel. You will find it in no other Scriptural book but in Matthew. Matthew wrote to a community of Gentiles who believed in Jesus as the Messiah.  It was important for Matthew to make sure these Christians realized that Jesus birth was not only for the Chosen People, Jesus’ own people, but for all people. Just as the shepherds represented or symbolized the Jews in the story of Jesus’ birth, the Magi symbolize the Gentiles, the rest of humanity, in the Infancy Narratives. In fact, the story of the Magi is rich in symbolism. What are some of the symbols that you heard accented in the Gospel story of today? Well, there are many of them. We take only a few for today’s message. Gold represents Jesus as ruler, as king. Frankincense is a fragrant and odorous material that is burned, usually over charcoal or added to a fire. The incense symbolizes that Jesus is also divine, is God. Myrrh is a perfume and heling agent used by peoples of the Mediterranean world. It symbolizes that Jesus will for us. The Star is that guiding light that led them to Jesus. For us, the star that guides us is our faith in Jesus. Next comes the magi. Yes, the Magi are symbolic, as we have said, of us. The Magi are on a journey. So are we. In our own daily life, we journey through the events and opportunities that we encounter. But the Magi are also symbolic of people who search, who risk. The Magi step out of the familiar and the comfortable to search for something more, to search for the “newborn King.” So too, we are called to risk, to let go of our security at times, for that security can inhibit us from finding Jesus. We value the familiar and comfortable to the detriment of discovery of God in our life. The call for all of us who claim to be disciples of the newborn King is to manifest, to show respect, and to honor one another. Epiphany is a celebration and a call for all of us to follow the example of the Magi and to follow the example of Jesus. He has honored us by becoming one with us in the flesh. Our call is to honor one another, showing and respecting the Jesus in all of us.
Every day is to be a day of Epiphany!