Epiphany Homily

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all of you. Christmas is a season that is filled with many great traditions. In each of our homes we can probably think of some of these traditions that we have developed or have inherited from our own families. Maybe these traditions deal with when gifts are to be unwrapped, a certain food item that will be appear on the menu, a show that must be watched, attending Midnight Mass, or something else. Many Slavic nations have the tradition on this day to have the priest come and bless their home and then to write CMB along with the year over their doorpost with chalk. CMB is the first letter of each name of the three magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) and also means Christ bless this house in Latin (Christus Mansionem Benedicat). Some of our traditions are very apparent while others may be quite confusing if someone walked in upon them without a proper explanation to help them delve into the true meaning that is being revealed. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany which is also filled with a lot of great symbolism.

 

The complexity of this solemnity is shown from the very start through its name. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb which means "to reveal." Indeed through the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh being bestowed upon Christ by these magi, who were lead forth by a star, there is a lot that is being revealed to us. On Christmas it was revealed that God loved us so much that He was willing to take on human flesh to come and to dwell among us. And on this Epiphany Sunday we are having a revealing of all that will and has taken place through God's willingness to enter into the world, through the reality of the Incarnation. As with family traditions or even things that take place within the Church there is often a lot that is being revealed, but we can miss these things very simply, because we get stuck with what we see or do instead of seeing what is being revealed. The Epiphany is about more then magi, a star, gold, frankincense, and myrrh because this solemnity is revealing a great truth into our lives.

Hidden behind these different objects we have a great truth that is being reveled to the world. This little child, named Jesus, is more than any simple child. On the occasion of the Epiphany we find many symbols which explain Christ's mission on this earth including His eventual death upon the cross. The gift of gold was bestowed upon Him to show His true kingship. With this gift we can see that Christ is worthy of all our praise and that He rules this world as the King of Heaven. Secondly, frankincense was offered to remind us of the divinity of Christ. It was incense that was fitting to be offered in the worship of the temple and so it was also fitting to offer this gift to point towards the reality of Christ's divinity. Finally, the gift of myrrh was brought to this child which reminds us of his own humanity and eventual death upon the cross. It would be myrrh that would be used to prepare a body for its burial. These magi bearing these gifts were drawn to this manger by the light of a star, which is the light of Christ, which brought them to this place to reveal such wondrous truths about this child's life.

I hope that when we hear the story of these magi that we will remember the complexity of their message. Their message was not just about the giving of gifts, but was about the meaning that lied behind the gifts that were offered. In our Catholic tradition we have so many sights which bear wondrous meaning if only we would begin to prevail ourselves to them. Today, for example, I proclaimed the announcement of moveable feasts prior to this homily. Within it we heard many dates, but in reality we should realize that it is Easter and thus the Resurrection of Christ's Body that is central to this message because these dates rely upon this event. Our Mass is filled with many mysterious symbols that can open our hearts wide to the mystery of Christ if only we will not rush through them, but instead allow them to prevail ourselves to these mysteries through our attention and study. May we this day open ourselves up, ever-the-more, to have these mysteries of the faith extended into our lives, so that we may better be able to proclaim the reality of the Incarnation to the world by our lives.