Epiphany of the Lord

Additional Information about the Solemnity of Epiphany[1]

Readings for the Solemnity of Epiphany[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Isaiah 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
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:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
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Commentary on Is 60:1-6

The Church sees in the images of Isaiah’s prophecy symbols of her universality. We hear echoes of Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the coming of Christ and what that means.(“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory”). Verses 5 and 6 give clear reference to the arrival of the Magi as the Prophet envisions the gifts of gold and frankincense being brought from the east in praise of the Lord.

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Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

This selection focuses us clearly on the revelation of Christ. References are made to the Son of the King who will govern the people with justice. In the third strophe we are given kings bringing gifts and finally, in the fourth strophe we see the Savior’s care for the poor reflected.

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Reading II: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

If, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
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Commentary on Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, makes reference to the revelation by God of his Only Son through various means to all peoples. He mentions specifically the Apostles and prophets have been lead to enlightenment by the Holy Spirit and now the Gentiles. The reference traces the predictive revelation from the prophets who foresaw the coming of the Messiah, to the Apostles who walked with him, to Paul whose mission to the Gentiles fulfills the global mission of Jesus.

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Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
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Commentary on Mt 2:1-12

We hear the story of the Magi (whom tradition holds were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) coming to pay homage to Jesus. For us, in this time the story holds significance not only as a significant event in the life of Jesus, but also as a symbol of the Lord’s universal revelation. Scripture and tradition hold that the Magi were from Persia and were not Hebrew. Their participation in the revelation of the Messiah provides a global element to the coming of Christ.

While this story provides depth and meaning to the coming of Christ as a universal symbol of salvation, it also sets the stage for other events in the life of Jesus. Had not Herod been made aware of the prophecy, he would not later have dispatched his solders to Bethlehem to slaughter the Holy Innocents and Joseph would not have been forced to flee to Egypt with a babe in arms.

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Reflection:

Christmas tide draws to an end with this great celebration. The Universal Church around the world rejoices in the event that created her. We say that because this is the day we see, in the visit of the Magi, the mission of the Savior expanded beyond the Hebrew people as God embraces all of his creation.

Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, Persian astrologers brought their gifts to the new born King. They were not of the Hebrew faith. Rather they were directed by the Holy Spirit to that place at that time so that the world might marvel at God’s infinite love. The Gold, Frankincense and Mir were noble gifts that must have, to others present, seemed hugely contradictory to the circumstances of the Lord’s birth – a manger – a stable. It was hardly a place where one would expect the arrival of the most important person ever born of woman.

By the faith of Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar we are shown that one does not need to have some special heritage to belong to the Savior. Race, color, or national origins are not barriers to God’s saving love. How often that universal embrace has been forgotten in our history? How many times has the human race looked at itself and decided that only people of one region or one race or one set of customs may benefit from God’s favor?

Today, the whole world rejoices. The king of, not just the Jews, but of the whole world has been revealed and the door to salvation is flung open to all who can reach out to him. As we celebrate this day, let us all give thanks that in our time and place we can exercise that acceptance of God openly and freely. And may we also look at the example provided here of the universal love God has shown and to all people and attempt to stamp out any bigotry in our own hearts.

Pax

[1] The picture used today is “Adoration of the Magi” by Hans Süss von Kulmbach, 1511
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved