January 8, 2023
The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20
Reading I: Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, 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: Ps 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. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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.Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Reading II: Eph 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 copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Alleluia: Mt 2:2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R.Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 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 newborn 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.
Reflection
Today, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek “epiphaneia”, which means “manifestation”.
“Epiphany of the Lord” recalls the visit of the wise men from the East, called the Magi, who were looking and waiting for the arrival of Jesus, the King of the Jews. They knew of the ancient prophecies and the appearance of a sign in the sky. The Magi asked King Herod: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). Scriptures have implied that they have been looking at the skies all their lives because they were known to be astrologers or stargazers. Now, the sign is upon them and they act because of the sign by following the star which led them to Judea.
This event might as well be called a “theophany”, a manifestation of God because this newborn king is no less than God in the person of Jesus who was incarnated and revealed Himself to the world for all to see, touch, hear, smell and even kiss. Jesus, despite being God, is also human who occupied space and time like we do. Therefore, to carve Jesus’ image in wood, stone or plaster to serve as a reminder that He was once with us in the world and use them as sacramental vehicles for us to have an epiphany or an encounter of remembrance of our Lord, is the most endearing thing to do for anyone who professes love for Jesus Christ. Holy sacramental objects like crucifixes, statues and images are avenues for any faithful to have a closer encounter with our Lord Jesus. A deeper encounter with Jesus is what communion is all about and the Eucharist is the pinnacle and summit of it all.
During Jesus’ time, there were no cameras. That is why the carvings and images of Jesus and the saints evolved in our theology and faith as reminders and igniters for epiphanies with the Lord, similar to what photos do for us today.
Jesus became man to fulfill God’s promise of sending us a savior. He came so that we may believe and know Him. His incarnation would not mean a thing if we set aside Jesus and not make Him the Lord of our lives. Jesus is not just some man who came into this world performing wonders and miracles. He is not just any other God who established the Church which hands down the faith throughout generations and generations of faithful. Jesus is the only God and there is no other God except Him.
Everyday Should Bring a Moment of Epiphany
Knowledge about God is inexhaustible and at times, incomprehensible. Therefore, knowing God and getting to know God more should be everyone’s vocation in life, even if we know that such is simply inexhaustible. We shouldn’t abandon our quest to know God simply because it is impossible. Getting to know God and getting closer to him is the first and only thing that should matter to us. The quest to know God is an avenue for deeper conversation because of what the epiphanies of getting to know God bring to us daily. When we ask to be closer to God, epiphanies start to abound because God will never hold back anything about Himself to a heart which is after His heart.
The Epiphany of the Lord should not be and must never be confined to revealing God to the gentiles as the Bible tells it. Epiphany of the Lord should be our realization that God wants to reveal Himself to us and all of mankind each day.
Scripture says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt: 6:33-34).
Seeking God first is an epiphany waiting to happen. All we have to do is believe and God does the rest.
First Reading: The Prophecy Which Points to Jesus
In Isaiah, we read:
“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.”
For the Prophet Isaiah, this was a revelation by God and he most definitely had an epiphany because God came to Him to reveal prophecies of significance in our salvation, particularly about the coming of the Christ. He didn’t see the day of fulfillment of it in history because they would come about 700 years later with the birth of Jesus. But he didn’t need to see it. All that matters is to believe in God and what we are supposed to do once an epiphany strikes us. Isaiah, when he had a revelation from God, responded correctly by prophesying what was revealed to him. With most prophets in the Bible, the job of prophesying wasn’t very exciting because that meant being hunted down and killed by those who can’t handle the truth.
Like the holy epiphanies of old, they call man to believe and with believing comes the call for evangelization – to go out into the world and bring Jesus to others. With the Lord’s epiphany to the world, are we willing to be his modern-day prophets?
Lastly, notice that the prophecy talks about darkness covering the earth, alluding to the creation story in Genesis (Gen 1:1). God created the universe. But if God is “not” in the universe, it will always be in darkness. Isaiah’s prophecy points to a time when God will relight the world with the coming of the Light of the World, Jesus. The light that man lost in the Garden of Eden due to original sin, which plunged the universe back into darkness and man’s banishment from the Garden, was the only reason God needed to provide the solution: salvation by sending the eternal light, Jesus.
Since the first Christmas, the world and mankind have never been the same because “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
Jesus is the light which illuminates our darkness. He is both the light and reason why we even draw near the light. The light has kept on shinning in the world and every moment of our lives is an opportunity for our Lord’s epiphany in our hearts, if we only believe and ask for it. Epiphany is God’s initiative and man’s realization in faith.
God has done His part in revealing Himself to the world. It’s now our task to experience Jesus in our lives and bring our Lord to others so that they too may have their own epiphany with Him who was sent for our salvation.
A blessed Epiphany of the Lord Sunday to all.
– Gospel reflection by Kuya Rommel Cecilio of SLRP Bible Apostolate Ministry
