Posted on January 3, 2025 View all Gospel Reflection
What is an Epiphany? It is a moment of discovery – of awareness.
On this day we celebrate the arrival of the three Magi kings to visit the child Jesus. One has to give these three men great praise. These men were not Jewish, and yet in their search for truth (and science) they studied the stars and read many of the Jewish texts that spoke of the signs that would accompany the birth of the Messiah, the new King to restore the throne of David.
Certainly, they were looking at this through human eyes and conceptions. But that is how God begins and works with us as well. God prepares us slowly and then lifts up our minds so that we can begin to glimpse the greatness he has for us. When the three wise men arrived, they brought gifts with them. I am not sure why they selected the three traditional gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. However, these gifts are tremendously fitting for the child Jesus. They were probably also very helpful to Mary as well. Spiritually speaking, the Christ-child received gold for his kingship, frankincense for his divinity, and myrrh for the death that he was to undergo for our sinfulness. In that sense the gifts offered to him were but a testimony from us on how deeply we need him as our Lord, our God and our Savior. But it is also nice to acknowledge that these gifts could have been of practical help to Our Lady. The incense would have helped transform the smell of the animals and manger to one that was beautiful and uplifting. The myrrh was often used as an oil or salve to help heal a person’s pain – something that would be so needed after her trek to Bethlehem and their quest for a place for her to give birth. And finally, the gold would be very important as they set out for Egypt to avoid the murderous intentions of Herod who sought to kill the child Jesus, lest he be a threat to his power and throne.
But today we also celebrate the journey of discovery that we are on as we follow Christ to heaven. Coupled with that journey is the Epiphanytide tradition of blessing one’s home and entrance doors. A custom which is believed to have started in medieval Europe is a visible way to bear witness and give welcome to Christ into our homes and hearts. The practice is very simple, chalk is blessed by the priest at church on Epiphany and then the head of the household will mark the doors with chalk in a pattern such as “20 + C + M + B + 25” that commemorates the year “2025” and the initials of the three kings (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar). There is also another delightful tradition in many countries of King Cake (Rosca de Reyes). This tradition has a custom of whoever finds the baby Jesus that is baked into the cake becomes king for the day. Perhaps that king might also make a donation to help those who are poor. For this reason sometimes this money was called the “gold of the Magi.”
As we continue to celebrate the great feast of Christmas and how the secular world came to encounter Christ through the three wise men, let us never tire of discovering the Lord in our daily lives. In particular that Jesus came to save all of humanity and not just the Jewish people from which he came. This is especially heard in today’s second reading when St. Paul writes that “the mystery was made known to me by revelation. … the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” (Eph. 3:2-3a, 6)
As we enter into 2025, let us fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ and journey with Him. Let us discover His love for us and pattern our lives after Him as we love others as He has loved us. If we do this, we shall be radiant as the sun and our hearts shall throb and overflow as we marvel what the Lord seeks to give to each of us on this journey towards heaven.
