The Light of the World and the Glory of God's Splendor

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany

The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word meaning a sudden moment of insight or revelation. When we apply that word to the mystery of the Incarnation, we are referring to the revelation of Jesus. There are actually three different epiphanies in the Gospels. The first of those is the epiphany that we celebrate today: the revelation of Jesus to the Magi who represent the Gentile nations. This particular revelation is recorded only in the Gospel of St. Matthew. The second epiphany or manifestation took place at the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan when a voice declared from heaven that Jesus was the beloved son in whom God was well pleased. This epiphany is recorded in the three synoptic Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The third and final epiphany takes place at the wedding feast of Cana when Jesus revealed himself through his first miracle or sign. This particular epiphany is recorded only in the Gospel of St. John.

Returning to our consideration of the first of the epiphanies, we know that St. Matthew’s purpose in writing the Gospel was to portray Jesus as the new Moses. As Moses was the mediator of the Sinai covenant made between God and the children of Israel, so Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant made between God and all people. While the Gospel of Saint Luke tells us that Jesus was revealed to shepherds, St. Matthew reveals the birth of Jesus through the Magi who follow a star which comes to rest over the stable in Bethlehem.

The men who visit the stable of Bethlehem are called Magi which identifies them as astrologers. Like many before them, they believed that the stars that populate the heavens were responsible for the conduct of human history. To be sure, astrology is both a science and sometimes a superstitious conduct. Because these Gentile wise men followed the path of the star, they were probably more scientists than superstitious men.

We also know that St. Matthew depended upon the Hebrew Scriptures to reveal who Jesus was as a man and as an incarnation of God. The Star of Bethlehem is traditionally linked to the Star Prophecy in the Book of Numbers (Numbers 24:17) which reads:

I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.

The journey of the Magi who follow that star comes to us from the prophecy of Isaiah which we proclaimed in the first reading this morning:

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. (Isaiah 60:6)

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet had foretold that the entire world would come to Israel and would worship the God of Israel. St. Matthew’s Gospel takes that prophecy and includes it in his version of the infancy narrative of Jesus where the Magi represent the other nations of the world.

In the few verses that we read from the Letter to the Ephesians, we hear St. Paul as he proclaims that Isaiah’s prophecy has come to fruition through his ministry to the Gentiles. He identifies the peoples of the Gentile nations as co-heirs and members of the Body of Christ and co-partners in the promise of Jesus Christ that is revealed in the Gospel.

Isaiah’s prophecy was made to the citizens of Jerusalem who had recently returned from the years of exile and slavery in Babylon. He speaks of the great light and of the glory of the Lord which will dispel the darkness of sin that has enveloped the whole world. Through the mysterious star, it is clear that St. Matthew regards Jesus as the great light and the glory of the Lord shining in the darkness of the children of Israel who live under the oppression of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, the elders and the scribes of Israel failed to recognize the light that is Jesus.

The text of St. Matthew’s Gospel is enshrined in our Scriptures and in our liturgy, not to tell us something about the Jews but to suggest something about ourselves. The members of the household are inclined to miss the splendor of a revelation that takes place close by, while strangers may well catch the radiance of it. The story should challenge all of us to reflect whether we have become so familiar with the mysteries of the Church Year that we miss the splendor and the revelatory impact and return to our lives quite unchanged by the celebration. The Gospel tells us of a story in which the Magi came from a great distance to witness the birth of a king. The very last line of the Gospel text tells us that the Magi went home by a different route. Does this mean that they returned to their homes using a different highway? Or does it reflect the fact that they return home having been changed by the revelation of God’s light to the nations? There is a metaphysical sense in which we are all called to make a journey from afar and to go home changed by that journey. We have seen the light and the glory of God as it shines forth from the humble stable of Bethlehem. If we truly place our faith in that light, we must accept it. However, like the people of Israel who rejected one of their own, we might also reject him because it means that we must change. We must go home if not by a different route, at least in a different frame of mind.