Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

January 6, 2019.

Epiphany of the Lord

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; 

Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Gospel Matthew 2:1-12.

Theme: Celebrating Christ, Our Star!

Introduction

Friends in Christ, today we celebrate the Epiphany otherwise known as the manifestation of Jesus to the world. On this day, the Church celebrates a miniature Christmas because the Magi represent humanity in following the star of Bethlehem to not only identify the Lord but present Him gifts and worship Him as Lord.

The word Epiphany comes from the Greek Epiphania, which denotes the visit of God to earth. The celebration reveals Christ as the Son of God. Most importantly, it unites three events in the life of Christ namely the adoration of the Magi, the baptism of Christ in the Jordan and the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee. As it were, the Epiphany prepares the faithful for the second coming of Christ in glory. 

Background & Summary of the Readings

The first reading (Isaiah 60:1-6) from the prophet Isaiah discloses how everyone in Sheba would offer gold and incense to God while singing His praises - A clear testimony that the nations and kings have come to the light of the world. As it were, the reading is a forecast of how the Magi would be led by the star of Bethlehem to where the saviour is born. Interestingly, the prophecy of old takes flesh in the gospel (Matthew 2:1-12).

Aside from the exciting revelation of the Magi in the gospel, the reading tells us how sensible the wise men were in not returning to Herod who wanted to eliminate the child Jesus. Accordingly, they went through another way leaving Herod with his wicked plans on-hatched. Notably too, the Magi were thrilled at the star which guided them to the manger. Their mystic gifts would go down in history as artifacts (sacramentals) of faith: Gold signifies His kingship, myrrh stands for His death and frankincense signifies His priesthood.

In the second reading (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6), talks about the revelation of God’s mystery which the solemnity of Epiphany tries to unravel and celebrate. It makes it abundantly clear that that mystery has indeed been revealed by spirit which is why Gentiles can also make claim to God’s inheritance that they are part of the same body and same promise through Christ.  

Pastoral Lessons

1. Celebration of God as Man: Epiphany denotes the visit of God to the earth, the divine wedding of Christ with humanity and the fact that great things happen when God mixes with men – “This day the Church is joined to her heavenly Spouse, for Christ has cleansed her crimes in the Jordan. With gifts the Magi hasten to the royal nuptials, and the guests are gladdened with wine made from water.”

2. Celebration of God as King: On this day, Christ is revealed to the three kings at Bethlehem as a symbol of His revelation to the Gentiles – an indication of the call to all nations to embrace the Christian faith and spread same. 

3. Celebration of Christ as Light of the world: At Epiphany, Christ the light of the nations bursts forth to all nations as the fulfillment of the prophecies of old namely: “The Gentiles shall walk in Thy light, and kings in the brightness of Thy rising.”

4. Celebration of the visit of the Magi: Like the three wise men, we are challenged to develop the courage to follow the light of the star in our journey of faith.

5. Celebration of our act of Worship: We are called upon to not only bow down and adore the Lord or offer Him our total loyalty but also revere Him as signified by the mystic gifts of gold which stands for His kingship, myrrh which signifies His death and frankincense which represents his priesthood.

6. The Celebration of the Universality of Salvation: According to tradition the biblical Magi named Balthazar, Gaspar and Melchior represent the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa thus symbolizing the universal call to holiness and salvation.

Homiletic Quotes to Remember

1. Our celebration is a clear testimony that the nations and kings have come to the light of the world.

2. Our readings disclose to us how shrewd the wise men were in not returning to Herod who wanted to eliminate the child Jesus.

3. Epiphany celebrates three events in the life of Christ - The adoration of the Magi, the baptism of Christ in the Jordan and the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee.  

4. Gold signifies His kingship, myrrh stands for His death and frankincense represents his priesthood.

5. Epiphany unravels the mystery which makes Gentile heirs of the kingdom.

Conclusion

I would like to end this homily with a quote from Pope Francis’ 2018 homily for the solemnity of Epiphany. The Roman Pontiff calls us to: “…Imitate the Magi: looking upwards, setting out, and freely offering our gifts.” He further stresses that we must emulate

three actions of the Magi namely, seeing, setting out and bringing gifts to the Lord. As such, we must learn to see the star, set out and offer our gifts to God now and always as we proclaim Christ as the light of the nations. Happy celebration!