Behold the Christ!
January 6, 2008

Readings for the Epiphany of the Lord

Reading 1: Is. 60:1–6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 72:1–2, 7–8, 10–11, 12–13

Reading 2: Eph. 3:2–3a, 5–6

Gospel: Mt. 2:1–12

Link to Readings

See also Fr. Ray Ryland's homily for this Sunday, "People of the Epiphany."

By Father Robert Pecotte

Behold the Christ, the Son of the Living God, this Child of Mary. . .

And thus we come to the Epiphany of the Lord. How far we have traveled to get here, through crowded streets and stores; around and through empty seats and pews, till at last we came to endless blocks of abandoned trees awaiting the arrival of the garbage truck. Do not let your hearts be troubled by what you see in secular society; rather, look to the light of Christ radiant in the Church; look and see the Son of God begotten in time and revealed to the nations for our salvation! Fall on your knees and worship the Son of God incarnate, the babe Jesus born of Mary.

The Church presents to us this most ancient and holy of feasts (the keeping of the feast dates back to the third century) so that we too might share in an epiphany experience with the Magi. What is an epiphany? Quite simply, it means a sudden revelation or manifestation of something that was previously unknown or hidden. So, the Epiphany is the greatest revelation of the greatest unknown or hidden truth: God Incarnate for the Salvation of the World!

In the early Church this celebration included not only the wise men from the East, but also the Baptism of the Lord (celebrated this year on January 13, which marks the end of the Christmas season) and also the Wedding Feast at Cana, for in all of these things the Man Jesus is revealed as the Messiah. In the Baptism of the Lord, we see the Holy Spirit descend and hear God the Father proclaim “This is my Beloved Son.” At the Wedding in Cana of Galilee, the Lord manifests Himself publicly, at the request of His Mother Mary, through the miraculous transformation of the water into wine.

“We Have Come to Do Him Homage”

This day the Gospel presents the mysterious figures known to us as the wise men from the East; the Three Kings or the Magi (Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior). Scripture tells us that they are magi (eastern pagan priests), and tradition has informed us that they themselves were probably kings. Through the revelation of God, the Magi experience an epiphany: They see the Star of Bethlehem and suddenly know that this means the Messiah of Israel has been born.

After their unfortunate encounter with the usurper Herod, the Magi leave for Bethlehem and see that the Star is now a visible light that precedes them and finally comes to rest where the Christ child lies in His mother’s arms. The Magi are filled with joy because the star they followed has led them to the desire of the nations, the Savior of the World, the Messiah of the Jews.

When the Wise men discover the baby Jesus resting in Mary’s arms, they fall down and adore Him. This action of the Magi shows that the Lord God has furthered the Epiphany moment for them by revealing to them that this simple Child, lying in a stable, is worthy of all homage and praise. Furthermore, they reveal that they have brought gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All of these gifts were considered the gifts of a king because of their extreme value, but for the Christ child they have further meaning. Gold for the king; frankincense (incense) for the priest; and finally myrrh, which is a burial ointment reserved for kings (thus foreshadowing the death of Jesus).

Imitate the Magi

Now, the only thing that remains hidden is our adoration of the Lord. Let us worship Him in sincerity and love, He who is ever incarnate with us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Let us show that we have received the Light of the Nations and undergone the Epiphany. Let us kneel in homage before Him manifest on the Altar, and let us welcome Him into our bodies in humility . . . no more reaching for Him, rather opening our mouths and allowing ourselves to be fed by Him . . . to be fed HIM! Let Christ rest on our tongues and allow Him to remain there. For He, the Word of God, desires to be spoken by us, His people.

What is most missing from our worship is humility before the Lord. The Magi prostrated themselves before Him and gave Him rich treasures, but Christ’s seeks something different from us. He seeks our hearts, our lives, and our wills. Let us give to Him the gold of our hearts burning with love of Him; let us offer Him the frankincense of our holy lives; and finally let us offer Him the sweet myrrh of our tears of contrition, our tears of sorrow over the sin of the world. If our gold and frankincense supply seems short, then perhaps we have left the stopper on the container of myrrh, which is full to the brim. If we open it and allow it to flow forth, we shall discover an abundance of gold and frankincense welling up for Him!

We, too, must elude the Herods who seek to kill Christ in order to maintain their own illusory power. We must follow the Lord Jesus, who shines brighter than the noonday sun; we must become the people who live the Epiphany.

Praise, honor, and all homage be His, now and forever . . . Amen.

Fr. Robert Pecotte is a priest of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota.

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