They Offered Him Gifts Of Gold, Frankincense, And Myrrh
1. Light Revealed to the Nations
2. A Saviour for All the World
3. The Guiding Star for All Nations
Introduction
1. Light Revealed to the Nations
The celebration of Epiphany, meaning “manifestation,” is like a second Christmas. It is, in fact, the Christmas of the Eastern Churches. It proclaims that the child Jesus belongs to and is given to the whole world as its Saviour. With the magi the world brings to him its variety of gifts: its culture, its many facets, its different identities. And we here, like people from other nations, bring him the gift of ourselves: our faith, our fidelity, our love, as we meet him in prayer and in people, especially in the poorest.
2. A Saviour for All the World
We celebrate today the great feast of Epiphany. Originally it was the Christmas feast of the Eastern part of the Christian Church. In the Western part the stress of Christmas was and is on the birth of Christ as a little human child. In the Eastern part the stress is more on Jesus coming as the Lord and Saviour of all. This is the reality the liturgy stresses today: Jesus came to save and bring life to all. No one is excluded, no one is a stranger to him. May all come to know Jesus, alive here among us.
3. The Guiding Star for All Nations
The celebration of Epiphany, meaning “manifestation,” is like a second Christmas. It is, in fact, the Christmas of the Eastern Churches. It proclaims that the child Jesus belongs to and is given to the whole world as its Savior. He is given to us, but with the magi the world brings to him its variety of gifts: its varied cultures, its many facets, its different identities. And we here, like people from other nations, bring him the gift of ourselves: our faith, our fidelity, our love, as we meet him in prayer and in people, especially in the poorest.
First Reading: God’s People A Light To All
In a vision the prophet sees an immense number of peoples flocking from everywhere to God’s light.
1 Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Rise up in splendour, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. R.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth. R.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him. R.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. R.
Second Reading: All Nations Called in Christ
Jesus Christ came to unite all: all peoples, with-out any discrimination, are called to join God’s people.
2 Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Alleluia Matthew 2:2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: We Followed His Star
Those who are familiar with God’s promises do not seek him; the powerful fear him. But those who come from afar to seek the Saviour, find and recognize him. God accepts all with their own gifts and potentials.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the new born king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” 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. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Commentary:
The Magi give us the word ‘magic’. In ancient times a ‘magus’ was someone with occult knowledge, particularly astrology. The significance of the Magi in today’s gospel reading is that they were non-Jews, and they represent the pagan world paying homage to Jesus, while his own world rejects him: a particular theme of Matthew’s gospel. It is not the gospel but early mediaeval legend that makes them kings, and three in number. All the details in the story refer to biblical texts. The Magi came from “the East”, proverbially the land of the wise (Job 1:1; Jer 49:7); the “star” (Num 24:17); “Bethlehem” (Mic 5:1-3); the “gifts” (Ps 72:10); etc. Clearly, the symbolic meaning is uppermost. We are entitled to ask, then: what is the symbolic meaning of this story for me today? Perhaps this, among other meanings: there are many pagan elements in my life, areas where the gospel has not been heard, where the baptismal waters have not soaked in! I need to take the riches of those places and lay them down at the cradle of the New-born.
Blessing
We have celebrated together
that Jesus Christ came not only for Christians,
but to be known by every person,
every country, every culture on earth.
For he is the Saviour of all.
May we come to know him better
and then make him known to others,
especially by the way we live.
And may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace of Christ
and walk in his light. R/ Thanks be to God.