Today we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord – the manifestation and revelation of God in Christ.
As we close out this Christmas season we hear the familiar narrative of the three kings’ journey and their paying homage to the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12). We are once more left to ponder the awesome profundity of God’s desire to share our human nature, to come and live among his creation, to preach to us, to instruct us, to heal us, to save us.
With today’s celebration we are presented with two most profound truths – that Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of God, and that this revelation is meant for all.
It is Jesus – God incarnate – who shows us that God is not aloof or remote but a personal God who is always present to us. It is Jesus who shows us the great love and compassion that God has for us and the primary place that God must hold in our lives. It is Jesus who shows us the infinite forgiveness that God extends to us and the trust and fidelity that God deserves from us. It is Jesus who shows us how persistent God is in seeking us out and how we can best respond to God’s invitation to enter into relationship with him. It is Jesus who gives us the confidence to approach God as a faithful friend who is present to us in both the joys and sorrows of our life, a friend who has only our best interests in mind, a friend who beckons us towards him so that we might achieve the fullness of life that he desires for us.
The second truth is no less important. Two thousand years ago God’s epiphany reached beyond the chosen Jewish people who faithfully prepared for the way of the Messiah. At that first Christmas, God’s epiphany was extended to all. And it is the same two thousand years later. God’s revelation and the saving grace achieved by Jesus Christ are meant for all – no one is left out. We are all equal children of God. We are all – as Saint Paul likes to say – “co-heirs” sharing in God’s inheritance. This is what connects all of us as one family, one body, one people of God.
And maybe there is a third truth – a most important truth. In today’s scripture Saint Paul reminds us that we are all “stewards of God’s grace” (Ephesians 3:2). We are all called to “pay forward” God’s love, compassion, and forgiveness as we open ourselves to relationship with others. We are all called to be a reflection of God’s goodness so that our lives become an epiphany for others, so that all of us together can come to experience God’s love, peace, and friendship in this world and the world beyond.