5 January 2020
Epiphany of the Lord
The Lord has come to dwell among us. Although often hidden (Is 45:15), God also at times reveals Himself to us, and it is this revelation in the life of Jesus that we celebrate today. Traditionally, this feast of Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ manifestation to the Magi who come to adore Him, to those who witnessed His Baptism in the Jordan, and to those who witnessed His first miracle at the wedding in Cana. As the readings for Mass today focus on the first of these manifestations, we, too, will focus on the revelation to the Magi.
The Gospel today, as well as each of the readings throughout this week, shows us that true adoration of God who reveals Himself to us requires true discernment on our part. As we hear with the psalm, “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!” (see today’s Psalm response). When God makes Himself manifest, the proper response is reverence, praise, service, adoration. And yet, in today’s Gospel only a few persons truly discern His presence and offer God true adoration. The Magi, the three kings who had travelled from far away, adore the God whom they have come in recognize in the newborn king, sitting upon His mother’s lap in Bethlehem. They can adore because they have discerned well His presence and glory, even in those humble circumstances. They can adore, because they recognize that this newborn king is to rule not simply there in Judea, but that His kingdom reaches all they way to their homes far, far from Bethlehem. On the other hand, Herod cannot adore the God who has come to make His salvation known. Herod thinks that the coming of the Messiah king is simply a local event; he can only discern a competitor for his own throne, and so he offers not adoration, but paranoid suspicion and eventually violence.
This week let us pray for an increase in the gift to recognize God’s presence, to discern His manifestations in His Son, and through the grace given to us in Jesus, to discern His work in our own lives. In coming to see God, may we be filled with a proper appreciation of the One who reveals Himself to us, so that we may joyfully adore Him more fully.