Merry Christmas!
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. This word “Epiphany” means “Manifestation of God.” Though we often equate the Epiphany solely with the Wise Men coming to do homage to Christ it also accounts for the Baptism of the Lord when a voice stated, “This is my beloved Son” and the Wedding Feast at Cana where Christ came to change water into wine. Each of these three accounts are occasions when Christ was manifested to the world as God. Hopefully we will take this manifestation to heart and allow ourself to be changed by this life giving reality.
From the Prophet Isaiah we are told of Gentiles who come to adore the Lord. Through these Wise Men from the East, who were encountered in our Gospel, we can see that all nations and kings are called to give Him homage. The same must hold true for us in this day and age for we need to be stirred our of our slumber and into action. Christ’s birth causes each us to constantly go out in search for God thus conforming our life on this earth unto His. Nevertheless, so many allow themselves to get caught up in the here and now and get lost along this path.
It was the light of a star which guided these Wise Men towards the Lord. Along the way they underwent conversion until they were finally able to behold this great light which is Christ our Lord. This great light is even greater then the light of any star that we can behold. We too ought to set out from here as they were able to do. They went with haste in order to find this great King. Likewise, we must go in haste in search of Him. Through going in haste we allow ourself to undergo the same spirit of conversion that the magi underwent for there is no greater gift that we can come to know then the gift of Christ Jesus who is God made Flesh.
If we are convinced that this child is God and has come to redeem us upon the cross then we ought to conform our life unto His. Along with the Wise Men’s gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh we should come to offer our own gifts which are brought about through this wondrous understanding of who this child truly is. To the manger we must come in order to bring with us the incense of prayer which rises up towards Heaven, the myrrh of our mortification for we must learn to die to self, and the gold of our charity which allows us to be manifest God’s love to the world. Let our hearts always be illumined by Christ and may we always be found willing to respond to His manifestation to the world as God made Flesh.
