Today we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. On this day we commemorate the manifestation of God to the Gentiles and the revelation of God to all the people of the world.
In today’s Gospel (Matthew 2: 1-12) we hear the familiar story of the journey of the three Kings in search of the newborn Christ child.
We hear that the Kings, using the light of the star for navigation, undertook what was probably a long and arduous journey in their search for, and ultimate discovery of, the newborn Christ child. The long distance they travelled across rough and dangerous terrain, along with the uncertainty of where they were heading and what they might find, tells us how committed they were in their desire to find the child, and how much trust and confidence they had for the success of their journey. Upon arriving at the stable, fully aware of, and fulfilled by the Divine presence, they bowed down and offered precious gifts.
Two thousand years later, it is the same for us.
God provides his guiding light to us so that as we journey in this life we might find Him. And as we journey, we are committed in our desire to come to know and love Jesus more and more. And like those three Kings, even though the journey at times might seem long and difficult and, on many days, filled with uncertainty, we go forward with trust and confidence in that guiding light. And each day, as we find Jesus, we also find fulfillment and completeness as we bow down before his divine presence to honor and thank him, and to offer him the most precious of gifts – ourselves.
And like the Jewish people that Isaiah speaks of in the first reading of today’s mass (Isaiah 60:1-6), God’s guiding light leads us from darkness and captivity to freedom and enlightenment. And like those Jews, we also celebrate our faithful God and the fulfillment of His promise of deliverance and salvation. As Saint Paul proclaims in the second reading (Ephesians 3:2), we now join those Jews as chosen people, “co-partners in God’s promise”, and “heirs” of the new life that God provides through the grace poured out to us in Jesus Christ.
And maybe most importantly, Paul reminds us that all of us are to go forward as “stewards of God’s grace”, sharing the Gospel message in our words and actions, so that our lives might be an epiphany for others – that others might come to experience God’s love and be guided by His light.