Isaiah 60:1-6,
Ps 72:1-2.7-8.10-11.12,
Ephesians 3:2-3a.5-6,
Matthews 2:1-12 Full Readings
The Universal Saviour
Brethren, today we celebrate the epiphany of our Lord Jesus. Epiphany is always celebrated on January 6 or on the first Sunday after January 1. The Epiphany is the time when Jesus ‘went public’, symbolized by the coming of the Wise Men from the East, the first people outside his own sphere to greet him as we see in the Gospel. The coming of the Magi denotes that Christ is the universal saviour not just only for Jews. Christ brings salvation not just to us, to those who come to our church, but to the whole world to all those grumpy, depressed, selfish, worried, suffering, disadvantaged people we meet in the street, most directly to Christians of every kind, but also to those who have not yet found Jesus. So we ought to go out into the street and shout for joy to alert people to what is on offer. Probably better to be a bit less crazy about it, and simply show the happiness it has brought to us by sharing our happiness in any generous way we can.
In the Gospel we see an overwhelming contrast. Herod, the King of the Jews, the nation prepared since all ages to welcome the coming of God to set all things right, fails to recognise the coming of the Lord. He is so blind as even to make every attempt to liquidate this herald of the completion of history and of Jewish hopes. By contrast the trio of wise men from the East, the traditional home of natural wisdom, show their conviction of the turning-point of history by journeying over desert and mountain to welcome and pay homage to the Lord. The evangelist is clear that this is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, as we see in the first reading, of the coming of peoples from the East to pay homage to the Lord. Especially in eastern Christianity is the festival of the Epiphany rather than the birthday of Jesus seen as the manifestation of Christ to the world. On Epiphany, Christ is manifested to the whole as the universal saviour.
There is something important, we can learn from the Magi. God used something very familiar to them as an instrument of their calling: the stars. It was among their belief that when someone of great importance was born, this birth was accompanied by a new star. So when they saw this new, bright and brilliant star, they were filled with curiosity and hope. One of the most significant aspects of this story is that they responded. God called them through the use of a star, and they chose to follow this sign, embarking on a long and arduous journey.
God often uses those things most familiar to us that are part of our daily life to send forth His calling. Recall, for example, that many of the Apostles were fishermen, and Jesus used their occupation to call them, making them “fishers of men.” He especially used the miraculous catch of fish to clearly indicate to them that they had a new calling. Which daily experiences and events in your life is God calling you to him through them? Discover them and respond to God's call.
The Magi offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What are we offering to Jesus, a universal saviour, as gifts for coming to us? There is no greater gift we can give to Him than to praise him and give our entire lives to him to make known his glory and his universal salvation to all. There are those who have not Known Christ a saviour and those who by decadence have turned away from him. On this day, let us offer our lives as a gift to Jesus to make him known to the ends of all the earth. The second reading tells us that it is through proclaiming the Gospel that Jesus can be made known to everyone. Are you ready to proclaim the good news of universal salvation to all through Jesus Christ? Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and guide you as you do so.
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for bringing salvation to all the nations. May the gospel of salvation be proclaimed to every nation today and to every person on the face of the earth. Help me to be a good witness of the joy of the gospel to all I meet. Amen.
Happy Epiphany Sunday and Be blessed.
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