The Epiphany of the Lord
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
Isaiah’s oracles often described Jerusalem as enveloped in darkness. Blinded by earthly interests, the kings and people of David’s royal city consistently ignored the invitation to faith extended to them by prophets like Isaiah. In the end, the kingdom failed and many of its people were exiled to Babylon. But things have changed dramatically by the time the time the prophet spoke the words in this first reading.
Isaiah invites the royal city to rise up from its ruins. The city is at last free from the darkness of sin and ignorance that once surrounded it and still surrounds other nations. Made wiser by the experience of exile, the people of Jerusalem have grown closer to God and stronger in their faith. Spiritual light prevails; the glory of God shines down on the city. In later verses (Is 60:19-20), the prophet announces that the city no longer needs the light of the sun or the moon; the light that comes from faith surpasses them. The surrounding nations will benefit from Jerusalem’s example. Now they will realize the advantages of walking the journey of faith. And as Jerusalem looks all around, she sees her people returning from exile; they carry their children in their arms, the promise of generations to come.
By land and by sea, the nation’s express their gratitude to Jerusalem by gifting her with the bounty of their resources. The prophet mentions specifically gold and incense, valuables that will enhance the worship of God in the Jerusalem temple. All the nations recognize that the greatest treasure of all is a right relationship with God.
The large overall picture Mt is painting with this story about the magi coming from the east to pay homage to Jesus as the newborn king of the Jews and King Herod rejecting any such notion symbolizes the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and the radical acceptance of him by the gentile world.
Much piety has grown up around these magi, who most likely were eastern astrologers. The text does not designate how many there were, nor are they given names. They are guided along their journey by a star, which could well be a Midrash on the Balaam narrative of Nm 22–24 (esp. 24:17). These magi are confident about why they came and the identity of him whom they came to see, “the newborn king of the Jews.”
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius