The Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. This is the mystery that St. Paul says was made known to him by revelation that the Gentiles are “coheirs, members of the same body” in the promise of Christ Jesus revealed in the gospel. The Magi are not Israelites but Gentiles, the Greek work “magos” represent a priestly caste of possibly astrologers from the “East” perhaps Persia or Babylonia. This fulfills a prophesy about a star and a scepter that is to rise from Israel spoken in the book of Numbers 24:17 by Balaam.
The scepter is the sign of the Messiah for all nations, not just for Israel and “every nation on earth will adore you”. The scepter is ornamented staff carried by rulers as a symbol of sovereignty. The Lord is sovereign over the world. This is the revelation that Jesus came to bring salvation for all that we may all be one and his reign will last forever.
Still today we are a divided people. There is racism, antisemitism, division among nations as to who is the greatest. The greatest shall be the least, the poor, the hungry, the suffering. There is a tradition to treat the Magi as “kings” but the bible does not call them kings. The Magi more appropriately are learned or wise men. In the same way we are called to be wise not simply in the ways of the world but in the ways of God that we may all be saved.
Who then will be saved? Salvation is through baptism and yet many have not received the gospel or been baptized. Where does that leave perhaps the majority of people. Baptism is through water but there are also a baptism of martyrdom and a baptism of desire. Consider all the babies who have been aborted having never had the opportunity to be born and are martyrs for heaven. There is also the baptism of desire meaning there are many to who the gospel was not revealed but they would have openly embraced it had someone evangelized them.
We often think of people in third world countries who have never heard the gospel but even here among us there are so many who have grown with no religious teaching, agnostic at heart and yet with a heart of gold. We are bound by God’s law but God is not bound and his judgements are righteous. God is the one judge of the mind, heart and will of each of us.
We make New Year’s resolutions as to how to improve ourselves but what are we doing to improve our relationship with God. The Magi studied the stars but we are given the one guiding star of heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ and he gave us his Word to reflect on, his Church to sanctify us in the sacraments, and his spirit of truth that we may know the truth and set us free.
The Magi brought the of gold symbolizing the kingship of Jesus our one true king. Frankincense symbolized our high priest and his divinity as the incense is a sign of our prayers rising to heaven. Myrrh was used in healing as a sign of purification and at death symbolizing the passion and sacrifice of Jesus. Together they prophesy Jesus’s identity as king in the gold, God in the frankincense, and as Savior in the myrrh.
By the time the Magi had arrived in Bethlehem Jesus, Mary and Joseph were now in a house no longer at the place of his birth. Some time had passed but the guiding star led them to this place. Some question if the “star” is more of a myth than a reality. There is a documentary that tells how it is possible for a star to move in such as way that it creates a circular reflection appearing even brighter than it is as if it had come to a standstill position. This miracle of the star for the Gentile magi was not faith in action but the work of the spirit and science coming together as an epiphany, a revelation to them and us of a greater truth, a savior is born and not only a savior, but God himself is with us.
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