Epiphany! A word that does not appear in the bible but has been used to describe the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah and God to the nations. There is no secret meaning or complicated message in the Gospel for this solemnity. The Magi, people who were non-Jews came from a foreign country to do homage to Jesus, a newborn King. For the Magi, Jesus is a King, a Messiah, a Savior, and a God. It really didn’t matter that they were not Jews.
Don’t you think it is interesting that Herod and all of Jerusalem, who were so close to Bethlehem, were unable to see the star? And even more interesting is to think that even after being told by the Magi, Herod and the people were unable to see the star? “Go and search for the baby, and then tell me,” Herod tells them. In this story only the magi can see the star.
To understand this, we need to know that Jerusalem in the Gospel of Matthew is not only a geographical place. It is also a state of mind, an attitude. To be in Jerusalem is to belong to a closed, exclusive, rigid, nationalistic mentality. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is the center of national Judaism. Those who believed that Yahweh was their God and salvation was only theirs. These people were unable to accept that the light of God can shine far beyond their city and their own people. They aimed to monopolize God’s grace. But as we see in the Gospel, the star shone for gentiles, and the first worshipers of Jesus were what rigid Jews will call unclean, pagans, or just foreigners.
This writing from Matthew could have created a little bit of discomfort for some people. But Matthew had a mixed church, his Gospel was written for a mixed community of Jews and gentiles. Hence the value of this story for him. Whenever we try to be exclusive and treat the Church as a club were only chosen people can enter and receive God’s grace, we blind ourselves to the wonders and to the light that God shares upon others who may never be part of the Church. To be true to its founder (as many say Jesus is), the Catholic Church must always be inclusive. We who now share in the body of Christ have the responsibility to extend that grace and love to all, no matter who that person is.
Today we celebrate the revelation of our God as a God that is for all, as a God that loves all, as a God that welcomes all. The story of the Magi teaches us that God’s signs become invisible for those who are not inclusive and try to monopolize his grace.
Those characters
with their outlandish aura
(you´ve thought it)
covered in dust and full of goodness,
faces singed from the desert sun,
and their accent, a notably odd one,
(you thought it pretty),
with solemn gestures from the East,
quite excessive, truth be told
(it was in a stable, you know)
they left you all with
(how could you know)
yet another gift.
The fourth,
and the best.
You received in your shaky hands
the gold, the incense and myrrh.
The infant dozed.
Mary, dazed.
And you, perplexed, stammered,
-Thank you, what a surprise. Thank you.
And they left.
Upon leaving you three,
their naiveté splintered.
They recognized the nighttime darkness
that crawled within the palace.
And they, feeling full of glee and a bit naughty,
returned to their land
by a different way.
It was their change of heart
that was the greatest gift that day.
Without it,
who knows what
might have been
of you three.
And of the world.
(Translated by Michael D. Wolfe)
.jpeg)
Still in the Season of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany this weekend. In our faith context, means the manifestation of Christ to all the Nations.
We have been in church many times these last days. We keep hearing all these stories about the birth of Jesus from the two gospels that have them, Luke and Matthew. One of the beautiful things of all these texts in Christmas is to see how the Good News of the birth of Christ has this expansive effect: first, only Mary knows about it; then Joseph; then Elizabeth and Zachariah; then the shepherds (representing the downcast of Israel); and today it reaches all the Nations. Using 21st century language, Jesus goes viral at the Epiphany.
This manifestation of Christ is still happening to us, and it is a matter for us to hear it, and be transformed as the Magi were transformed upon encountering Christ. When the gospel begins, the Magi are looking for Jesus in Jerusalem, in the center of power of the time, and they thought Herod would be of help. But at the end of the gospel, transformed by the encounter with Christ, they realize that they have to avoid Jerusalem and Herod, to return as different people, carrying with them the good news of Jesus.
We can look at the attitude of the Magi in today’s gospel and learn from them how to let Jesus transform our lives:
(1) The Magi were people who were on a journey, who were searching. The opposite of that is our tendency to settle, in life and in faith, and cease the search. Another word for it is complacency. We tend to become people with all the answers instead of people of questions.
(2) In their search, they read a sign–a star. We believe God continues sending us many signs on how to find Jesus. People and events that happen in our lives are messages from God, but we often do not pay attention, in the midst of our busy lives. We have lost the sensitivity to discern signs.
(3) Once they encounter Jesus, the Magi gave him everything. They gifted themselves to the Child: Gold, representing their material wealth; Frankincense, representing their faith, as incense has in many cultures been a sign of our relationship with the Divine; and by gifting him with myrrh, they have given him also their suffering and their eventual death, as myrrh was used in antiquity as an ointment with medicinal effects, also used to prepare a body for the funeral rituals. The opposite happens when Jesus does not change anything in our lives, and we may live faith on the surface, in the rituals and the gestures, in the rules, and not in the whole potential of free individuals following Jesus.
(4) And they were “overjoyed” upon encountering Jesus—a joy that is not a feeling, but a choice we make. We all have problems and difficulties, many reasons and excuses not to be joyful. Does the encounter with Jesus, especially the one we experience when we go to church, fill us with joy? Do we recognize the joy of the Gospel every time we encounter Jesus in the “others”—especially the stranger, the marginalized, the different…
The Epiphany is an explosion of joy and meaning, and its shock wave is reaching us today. We learn from the Magi how to set ourselves to continue the journey that takes us to the Child and beyond–in constant journey of transformation.
In the United States we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany this Sunday, in other parts they do it on the actual day, January 6. This is a beautiful celebration, not just because it’s a time for presents in many cultures, but also because of the profound theological message behind it. The Magi, coming from afar, gentile nations, search out and encounter Jesus, the Messiah. The relationship between the encounter of peoples and their encounter with God and salvation, is at the center of who we are as the Catholic Church.
I began to see the importance of the Church being a place of encounter during my years of formation with the Community of Saint Paul in the Dominican Republic. I became involved in our work with the Haitian immigrant community living within the territory of La Sagrada Familia Parish. Many of those reading this know that the relationship between the two countries is far from cordial. Over time, we developed a Haitian Ministry program, becoming one of the few parishes in the region to have one. Then we began to have more opportunities and events aiming at bringing the two different groups together in prayer and community. And I am very proud that the Community of Saint Paul continues to develop more opportunities for this to happen.
Now I am serving in my first assignment as a priest in St. John Paul II Parish on the Southside of Milwaukee. We have a good-sized English-speaking community, with a large and growing Spanish-speaking community. And the diversity goes beyond language, as we have several different countries of origin within the Hispanic population, and our parish is the merger of what was once three separate neighbor parishes in a part of the city that was very neighborhood-based. Inspired in part by my experiences in the Dominican Republic, I am involved with a group in the parish that focuses on building unity in St. John Paul II from within this diversity.
The parish setting should always be a place of encounter and unity, with one another and with God. This is so central to who we are that every Sunday we profess it in Mass. Unity is the first of the four marks of the Church within the Creed: one, holy, catholic and apostolic. And there is of course a direct relationship with “one” and “catholic,” meaning “universal.” It is in this sense that the Second Vatican Council taught that the Church exists in Christ as the “light of humanity,” as a “sign and instrument” of communion with God and unity among all humanity.[1]
The inherent connection between the unity of peoples and the unity of humanity with God is not new. Rather, it has deep roots in Judeo-Christian theology. For example, one of the main oral traditions in ancient Judaism regarding the culmination of Salvation History uses the image of all nations (think “peoples”) gathering on God’s mountain and recognizing Him as God. We can see this captured, for example, throughout Isaiah[2]. In this way, the unity of peoples takes on an eschatological importance, pointing to the end of time.
As those rooted in this tradition, it is not surprising that the early Christian communities would see in Jesus the beginning of the unity of all peoples with the fullness of God’s salvation. We even have an example of this in our reading last Sunday from the Gospel of Luke for the Feast of the Holy Family. Simeon sees in the child Jesus that his “eyes have seen [God’s] salvation which [he] prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”[3] Part of the fulfillment of God’s promise is the aforementioned connection of the unity of all peoples, and the fulfillment of salvation.
With this in mind, we can turn to today’s Gospel reading on the Feast of the Epiphany. Matthew, of all the evangelists, has a particularly “strong knowledge of and attachment to Jewish Scripture, tradition and belief.”[4] Most scholars believe that Matthew was writing for a Jewish-Christian community that was struggling with the diversity it was experiencing as more Gentile-Christians were joining them. Accepting this thesis, it makes sense that especially Matthew would strive to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of what was promised by God in “the scriptures,” of the Torah and the prophets.[5] This is the “epiphany” of this Feast day. Coming from “the East,” the Magi represent Gentile nations who come to Jesus to pay homage to “the king of the Jews.”
This is reflected throughout Matthew’s Gospel, from the beginning, with the visit from the Magi, to its end where the resurrected Jesus commands to his disciples to go out and to “baptize all nations.”[6] For Matthew, the connection between the unity of peoples and the fulfilment is not just a theoretical discourse, but points to the importance of the practical reality his community was facing and with which they struggled. The Magi “prefigure those Gentiles who are part of Matthew’s community.”[7] Writing for catechetical purposes, Matthew reminds his community, and us, that striving for unity is of utmost importance in the long tradition of its eschatological significance: the unity of peoples is linked to the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven.[8]
There may have been times when we have taken for granted the importance of unity within diversity, as it became a common catch-phrase throughout our schools, universities, workplaces and social outreach programs. It is perhaps in part for that reason that it seems many societies are sadly moving away from it. But this should never happen within the Church. We can never lose sight of this ancient and profound spiritual principle of the unity of peoples being linked to the fullness of God’s Kingdom. While it is something “nice,” building unity is so much more to who we are as a people of faith, especially as disciples of Jesus.
As we celebrate the Magi, let us be renewed in our evangelical fervor to reach out to and unite all peoples. Times of sharing, like cooking classes, pot-luck dinners and bilingual-liturgies may not be easy, but they are an essential step in who we are, called to be one, holy, universal and apostolic Church.
[1] Lumen Gentium 1
[2] See for example Is 28:6, 43:9, 56:6
[3] Lk 2:30-32.
[4] Gale, Aaron M. 2011. “Introduction to the Gospel According to Matthew” in Jewish Annotated New Testament. Oxford University Press. p. 1.
[5] Ibid
[6] Mt 28:19.
[7] Harrington, Daniel J. 1991. The Gospel of Matthew. In Sacra Pagina commentaries. Liturgical Press. p.49.
[8] John Nolland argues that the Gospel may have been written as a sort of Catechetical manual for discipleship, which is directed toward the eschaton. He writes that the author’s self-understanding many be reflected in Mt 13:53, in being “disciple [to be] a scribe for the kingdom of heaven.” Nolland, John. 2005. The Gospel of Matthew. In The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. p. 20.
Javier Guativa
The feast of the Epiphany (the feast of the manifestation of the Lord to all humanity) is the feast of light. “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you” (Is 60:1). With these words of the prophet Isaiah, the Church describes the content of this beautiful Feast.
Matthew is the only evangelist who tells the story of the Magi who came to see the newborn Messiah. Mathew’s account aims to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah, that he fulfilled what the prophets announced about the Gentiles arriving to Jerusalem (Is 60:6; Sal 72:10+). It also shows that God has expanded His blessing and privilege of the historic Israel to the Church, largely Gentile.
Focusing on Matthew’s account, let us see how we can put it into practice what the Gospel teaches us, so that this Feats of light can illuminate our path, as the star illuminated the path of the Magi from the East to Bethlehem.
“Behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem” (Mt 2:1b)
To start living the “manifestation” of God in our lives, we have to leave from where we are. God wants to be present in our lives, but it depends on us to start walking.
It would be good to ask what kind of journey are we invited to travel. From where do we have to leave? What are the attitudes that we have to change?
God wants to be present in our lives and to enlighten our way, but this will be difficult if we do not cooperate, if we are anchored in the same place, arguing that our own perspectives and opinions are the only valid points of view.
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage”(Mt 2:2).
The “manifestation” of God is silent: a star! Beautiful and at the same time distant. Do not expect from God something so powerful that it may force us to act, because if we do, we will be going the wrong way. The Magi could have ignored that sign and have continued with their daily lives.
Throughout our lives God brightens our way with lights that allow us to glimpse the path, but we must be attentive, vigilant. The manifestation of God does not bring large banners. When we feel that God is silent, we should know that He speaks in a language that is unique.
We are invited to be led by the contagious light of the Lord and by other people who are continuously present in our journey; understanding life as an “adventure”; risking to accept the challenges of a future marked by the enthusiasm and hope that leads to Bethlehem, to a joyful encounter.
“Then Herod called the magi secretly (…) 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” (Mt 2:7a; 2:9).
The Magi are a good example of how to overcome the dark nights that we have in our journey of faith. The Magi sensed that when they entered the palace of Herod (a place of power and wealth) the star disappeared.
The only thing that the Magi found in Herod’s palace was jealousy and the king’s fear of losing its power. Like Herod, we too can be tempted to shine, to cling to the little “kingdoms” we have instead of serving others. Then our life becomes bitter and bitterness affects others, because we do not find peace.
The Magi sensed that Herod, the new Pharaoh, wanted to enslave them. Resuming the path of silence and humbleness on which they started, they went away and the star shined again, the Magi overcame darkness and were filled with joy.
“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way” (Mt 2:12b).
We are transformed by the experience of encountering the presence of God in the world. After this encounter, we can no longer live as we did before. We must take the path of love and fidelity, sacrifice and selflessness, joy of daily work well done, patience in the contradictions and gentleness in dealing with others. This is the path that leads us to walk, as new stars of Bethlehem for others.
The early Christians, by reading the episode of the Magi, understood very well that Jesus would be the salvation for all humanity.Today, let us feel closer to the Magi, wise companions who encourage us to raise our eyes and see the stars that continue to illuminate our path.
