“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Matthew 2:2)

The major theme for this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord focuses on the appearance, the manifestation or the revelation of God incarnates in Jesus Christ. It is also known as the “Theophany” of the Lord in the Eastern Christian tradition. The word “Epiphany” comes from Koine Greek “ἐπιφάνεια, epipháneia,” which means “manifestation or appearance.”

In Western Christianity, this feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, thus God’s physical manifestation to the Gentiles known as the “Three Kings' Day.” On the other hand, Eastern Christians commemorate the “baptism of Jesus” in the river Jordan as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.

In the event, the star of Bethlehem had been hidden from these wise men so that they had no choice but to ask the Jews and thus the birth of Christ Jesus would be manifest to all. Therefore, the Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the World so that the Gentiles would worship him.

These magi from the East represent the first fruits of the pagan cultures, religions, nations that welcome the Good News of the incarnation of Christ of salvation and pay homage to the king of all nations. The coming of these magi means that the Gentiles cannot discover Jesus and adore him in any other way, except by turning to the Jews and receiving from them his messianic promise, and thus the multitudes of the Gentiles enter the family of the patriarchs and acquire Israeli dignity.

The Epiphany of the Lord is therefore the great feast of faith that both those who have already come to faith and those who are on their way to reach it, thanking God for the gift of faith, kneeling before the Child Jesus, aware of our mission of evangelization to the entire world.
        
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to appreciate God’s Epiphany, manifestation or revelation in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who brings us true peace, inviting us to repent our sins, to exercise our Christian stewardship, to use our time, treasure and talents to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves, participating in the works of mercy, to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God. 

How can we imitate and follow the magi’s faith, manifest and lead others to Christ to experience God’s unconditional love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness?      

Wishing you a blessed week in the Lord.