Sunday Reflections
Solemnity of Epiphany 2024
Paying attention to the signs of God
1. ✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘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 of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘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 there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it 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 warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
2. We celebrate the Epiphany or manifestation of Jesus Christ, the light of the nations, to the world. This manifestation which came about through the visit of the three wise men, revealed Jesus as the universal Common Good of humanity, the God of the Jews as well as that of the Gentiles. Isaiah, in today’s first reading (Is 60:1-6) prophesied that a time will come when other nations will flood Jerusalem with precious gifts. Today’s responsorial Psalm (Ps71) affirmed the same prophecy saying that all nations shall worship God in Jerusalem
3. The gospel is a fulfillment of the prophecy. Three wise men from the East saw a star and through their knowledge in astrology recognized that a king was born in Jerusalem. They set out with gifts to search for the king. Arriving at Jerusalem they asked the people where to find the infant king. This came to the knowledge of King Herod who summoned them to find out the details of the child. They continued their journey, following the star till they found the infant Jesus with his parents and offered him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, symbolic gifts for king, priest and prophet.
4. Analysing the text, we see three points:
-the wise men were attentive to their environment, they saw a new star, recognized what it stood for and moved into action to discover the baby. They put their knowledge to work. What is the need of knowledge if it does not lead to action? Contrastingly, the Scribes and the Chief Priests knew even without the help of a star, where Jesus was to be born but made no move. Herod could not even send a soldier to accompany and help the wise men in their search. Knowledge without action, like faith without good work, is dead.
-when the wise men felt confused they did not give up. The continued to ask the people until they were able to rediscover the star. Sometimes we move with certitude about God and our faith. Some other times we meet with doubt and confusion. We should not give up. Christ is our destination. On 18 December 2023 for example, the world was set ablaze by a document from Rome on the pastoral meaning of blessing Fiducia Supplicans. Many people felt that the Church was getting confused and confusing. Our bishops have spoken to assure us that in the Catholic Church, marriage is and will remain between a man and a woman. Anything more than that has nothing to do with the catholic faith.
-the wise men, Gentiles as they were, recognized God in a little baby and offered him precious gift. They showed us that God can reveal himself to those who do not know him the way we do. With them we learn that religious differences cannot mean differences in God. There is only one God and we are all his sons and daughters. Persecution and conflicts can never be from God who reveals himself to each people according to his will.
5. Like the wise men, be attentive to the signs of God’s presence around. It could come from natural phenomena like stars, it could come from dreams or from people around you. Make effort to react positively to the signs of God that you encounter daily. Translate every knowledge to action and your life will be filled with discoveries of God on daily basis.© Vitalis Anaehobi 07/01/24
