A Sermon preached on January 6, 2013, by Rev. Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
My dearly beloved in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, which is a very important, high-ranking feast in the Church year. Usually, the Feast of the Epiphany falls on a weekday, and so the faithful are not all present for Mass, because in the United States it is not observed as a holyday of obligation. The observation of Epiphany as a holyday does occur in Canada and in many other countries because of the significance of the feast day.
The word epiphany means manifestation or appearing because it is the feast of Christ manifesting Himself to the Gentile nations. At the birth of Our Lord the Angel appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of the Redeemer. The shepherds represented the Chosen People, the descendants of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob — the Israelites. But the star announced the birth of Christ to the three Magi (and, no doubt, to many others who lived in their country and saw the star). They represent us, the Gentiles. Most likely all of us, or nearly all of us, are not descended from the descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. We are of the Gentile nations and that is why this feast is very significant to us, because it calls to mind the fact that Our Lord came into the world for all men, for all nations, not just for the Chosen People. In the Old Testament the Chosen People kept to themselves; they were warned by God not to associate with the other nations around them lest they be corrupted and led into idolatry.
Our Lord, however, came into the world for the redemption of all men. We know this because when He sent the apostles forth right before His ascension He told them to: “Preach the Gospel to every nation, to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” There are a good number of references in the Old Testament to the fact that the truth would one day be spread to the Gentiles. We also see this in the Canticle of Simeon at the Presentation in the temple, which referred to Our Lord as a “light of revelation to the Gentiles.”
How do we know that Jesus came for all men, not just the Jews?
Also, very significant in this regard is a passage from the Acts of the Apostles which has to do with a centurion named Cornelius. This man was very just and God-fearing but was not a Jew. It was revealed to him that he should send servants to a man named Peter, and that Peter would tell him what he was to do. This, of course, was after Pentecost. So he sent his messengers to Peter, who returned with them to the home of Cornelius. Cornelius was so happy when he knew that Peter was coming that he gathered together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered the house and heard from the mouth of Cornelius why he sent for him and how it was revealed to him that he should do whatever he would tell him to do, he said: “Now I really understand that God is not a respecter of persons but in every nation he who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him” (Acts 10). St. Peter went on to baptize Cornelius and the members of his household.
So Our Lord came for all men, but the call of the Gentiles was typified or represented by these three wise men who came after Our Lord’s birth to adore Him. The Fathers of the Church see in their precious gifts of gold, incense and myrrh representations of the various things we should give to God: the gold of our love, of our virtues; the incense of prayer, since the way the incense rises up reminds us of prayer; and finally, the myrrh, indicating all manner of penance and mortification, enduring our crosses, offering up our trials. These are the gifts that we give Our Lord. These three wealthy and wise men would not have thought of going to worship the Redeemer of the world and not giving Him the best that they could. So they brought Him these three precious gifts. Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph were very poor, and there is a private revelation indicating that they accepted these gifts and gave them away, or sold them and gave the money to the poor.
How long did it take the Magi to get to Bethlehem?
Let us now reflect for a moment on the star that appeared to the Magi. We don’t know exactly when the star appeared. Some believe that it appeared the day of Our Lord’s birth and that the Magi journeyed from a great distance and therefore arrived some time later. That would seem to be indicated by the fact that Herod slew all the baby boys two years of age and under in Bethlehem and its surroundings. Why two years of age? Why not just the newborn? Perhaps the Magi did not arrive until well after the birth of Our Lord, perhaps even a year later.
Although we refer to them as the three kings, most likely they were not kings in the sense of ruling a whole nation. Perhaps they were heads of tribes or clans. They are especially referred to as the Magi and this word in Latin means “wise men.” They were very wise. They were like philosophers and astronomers — they studied the stars and the writings that were available including, no doubt, the Jewish scriptures (the Old Testament). Like the people of many other nations, they were awaiting a Savior.
When they saw this miraculous star, they knew that it portended something very wonderful, most likely the arrival in the world of the long-awaited Redeemer. But in addition to the star, there was an interior inspiration of God. The grace of God led them to understand what the star meant, and so they began to follow it. They made preparations, gathering servants and supplies to go on this long journey. We don’t know how far away they lived, but we know they did come from a great distance. One private revelation said that the cavalcade of all these camels and servants was so long that it would take about 45 minutes to completely pass at a given point.
You can imagine how these three wise men were mocked by people along the way. They would ask, “Where are you going?” And they would reply, “We don’t know; we are following the star.” They didn’t know where it would take them. They didn’t know how far away it would lead them and to what point. What a faith was theirs, what a humility, what a correspondence with grace to follow the star where it guided them!
The Fathers of the Church see in the magi’s precious gifts of gold, incense and myrrh representations of what we should give to God: the gold of our love, the incense of prayer, and finally, the myrrh of penance and mortification, of enduring our crosses…
When they came to the area of the Holy Land, the star disappeared. This reminds us that we often are tempted when the inspirations and the enlightenment that we are used to suddenly disappear and we have to live by faith. What did they do at that point? They went to the capital, to Jerusalem. They went to the king whose name was Herod, to inquire where the newborn King of the Jews could be found. Herod consulted the priests, and they pointed out that the prophet Micheas taught that the Redeemer was to be born in Bethlehem. Herod then told the Magi that they should go to Bethlehem, but deceitfully added, “When you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship Him.” He did not have any intention of worshiping Our Lord, but rather wanted to eliminate a possible rival to his power, to his throne. Here we see Herod typifying all of those who are too attached to the world, whether it be power or influence or material things or the pleasures of life.
Bethlehem is only seven or eight miles from Jerusalem. Herod could easily have gone there. In fact, we read in this Gospel of St. Matthew that Herod was troubled “and so was all Jerusalem with him.” So word had gone out all over the city. But how many people went? How many people bothered themselves to take time out from their daily routine, at least out of curiosity, to travel to Bethlehem to see what was going on? We don’t read of anyone doing this. The Magi departed, and after they left Jerusalem the star reappeared, guiding them to the exact spot where Our Lord was, which by that time was probably not the cave. In fact, Scripture tells us that “entering the house, they fell down and worshiped Him.” It does not mention a cave.
What shows us that the star was unique?
This star was a unique creation of God. There have been attempts to explain away the star as some kind of a conjunction of planets. But it seems that it was a heavenly body within our own atmosphere, because they were able to follow it as it moved. Something that was millions of miles away would not have been able to guide them to the exact spot where Our Lord lay. So it was a unique star that appeared to them — that they saw in the heavens and followed.
What an extraordinary example for us are these three men. They are honored by the Church as Saints Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Their relics are enshrined in the Cologne Cathedral, and they are honored as saints because they corresponded with the grace of God. They accepted Our Lord, and were among his first worshipers. We also have received many inspirations of grace, and we too must learn to be docile like the three Magi by corresponding with grace and following wherever it leads. Don’t be afraid of the guidance of that star, even if it leads us to carry the cross, to renounce the world and the spirit of the world. Don’t be afraid of those inspirations of God. Follow them, for they will lead you to eternal life.
So this is a wonderful feastday for us — we who are of the Gentiles. Thank God every day for the gift of faith, for enlightening you and your ancestors. How grateful we must be for the gift of faith! Let us pray to these three wise men, these saints, that like them we also will correspond with grace, that we will persevere and not become discouraged in our path through life — like them, who on their long journey, despite discouragements and doubts, persevered to the end. “He who perseveres to the end shall be saved.” May they intercede for us and help us to persevere, to correspond with grace, and to be always strong in our faith, because that is the star that will guide us to eternal life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
–Taken from the Reign of Mary Quarterly Magazine, Issue 170
