God's "Epiphany"

CEBU, Philippines - During these days at the end of the Christmas season, the liturgy of the church is concerned with “Epiphany”, that is, with getting to know the Savior of whom the angels sang on Christmas night.

The meaning of the word “epiphany” has its roots in the Greek language. The first part of the word, “epi,” means “upon.” The second part, “phainein,” means, “to show.” By combining these two meanings, “to show upon,” we are reminded of the manifestation of the glory of Christ to the Gentiles.  The original purpose of the Feast of Epiphany, which had its beginning in the Eastern Church during the 3rd century, was to commemorate how the glory of Christ was revealed to the Gentiles.  The word “epiphany” comes from Greek and it means a showing or manifestation.

I believe that there are numerous manifestations or epiphanies of God in our life and in the lives of everybody.   However, many of us were introduced to Epiphany through the familiar silhouetted image of Three Wise Men bearing gifts as they followed the Great Star by night. The three wise men who followed the star that led them to the Child Jesus. To them, the light of the star was a symbol of hope, of joy and of peace. To them, the star was but a small reflection of the fullness of the Light of the world that awaited them at the end of their journey.

Who were these “wise men” and where did they come from? In the Greek text, they are called magoi, usually translated in English as “Magi”. Magi were a group or caste of scholars who were associated with the interpretation of dreams, Zoroastrianism, astrology and magic. In later Christian tradition, they were called kings. We are not told what their names were or how many of them there were. Tradition settled on three, presumably because there were three kinds of gifts. Eventually, they were given names — Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchor.

What can we learn from the Wise Men?

First, the Wise Men began their journey because of their beliefs.

It was believed that when a world leader (like a king) was born, a special stellar phenomenon would appear in the sky. The Magi saw something that was long-awaited sign. Historians tell us that the Jews, the Romans, and the Persians were all watching the skies about that time, looking for signs of the birth of an extraordinary king. A few years before, around 11 BC, Halley’s Comet had been seen. There were other stellar phenomena, including a bright star, Sirius, which appeared brightly in the daytime instead of at night. The Wise Men saw the star and began their journey.

Second, the Wise Men were willing to follow what they had seen into unknown territory.

Their journey took them outside their country and of their comfort zone. The Wise Men risked the consequences of disobeying Herod, who was known to behave as a madman when provoked. They returned to their country by another way.

Third, the Wise Men were committed to the journey — wherever the star might lead.

The Wise Men set out to find a newborn King by following a star and ended up finding a baby born to young, relatively poor parents! Not exactly what they expected and not exactly what befit their dignity as priests.

In this year, may we look to heaven for guidance and comfort and may we accept God’s blessings in whatever forms we find them, just as the Wise Men accepted that their long, expensive journey led them to a baby born to young, inexperienced parents who lived on the poor side of town. . . .

Finally, the Wise Men brought gifts.

They did the thing that people in the East or in Africa or in India would do when visiting royalty. They brought gifts.

Gold was the kind of gift that you brought to a king.

Frankincense was the kind of gift that you would bring to a priest.

Myrrh was given to someone who was about to die.

We may think of gift which we can offer to God this year. Can it be the gift of time? The gift of one’s talents? service in the community? witness and testimony? of undying love and devotion?

We can learn much from the three wise men. They were pilgrims in search of the divine and their joy was immense when they made the discovery. Their faith was childlike and deeply religious. They had a specific purpose in mind and they went in a particular direction. They followed the star and they encountered God.

It tells us that we too have to search for our God and cannot rest till we find Him. (FREEMAN)