Gospel: Epiphany of the Lord

Today, our liturgical celebration is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, and the Word will be taken from the Gospel as narrated by St Matthew (Matthew 2:1-12).

After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east asking, "Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage."

When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

They told him, "At Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see them privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star appeared and set them on to Bethlehem with the words, "Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage."

Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And suddenly, the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was.

The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense  and myrrh.

But they were given a warning in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

The visit of the Magi occurs directly before the story of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. St Matthew's Gospel tells a version of Jesus' birth that is different from the one in St Luke's. Of the actual birth of Jesus, St Matthew tells us little more than, "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the days of King Herod..." The story of the census is only found in St Luke's account, but we hear about the visit of the Magi only in St Matthew's Gospel.

We know little about the Magi. They cone from the East and journey to Bethlehem, following an astrological sign, so we believe them to be astrologers. We assume that there were three Magi based upon the naming of their three gifts. The Gospel does not say how many Magi paid homage to Jesus. In the Gospel of St Matthew, they represent the Gentile's search for a savior. Because the Magi represent the entire world, they also represent our search for Jesus.

We have come to consider the gifts they bring as foreshadowing of Jesus' role in salvation. We believe the meaning of the gifts to be Christological. Gold is presented as representative of Jesus' kingship. Frankincense is a symbol of his divinity because priests burned the substance in the Temple. Myrrh, which was used to prepare the dead for burial, is offered in anticipation of Jesus' death.

The word "Epiphany" means "manifestation" or "showing forth." Historically several moments in Christ's early life and ministry have been celebrated as "epiphanies," including his birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the Magi, his baptism by St John the Baptist, and the first miracle at Cana.

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