Mt 2:1-12
1When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,/ are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;/ since from you shall come a ruler,/ who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” 9After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
The Season of Light
In the early Church there were but two pivotal seasons of the year: Easter and Epiphany. Easter, which celebrates the death and resurrection of Christ, has always been the highest liturgical celebration. It is a time for preparation and reception of baptism, the sacrament which ushers in the new birth in God. Epiphany, which means “manifestation of the Lord,” is also a time for the celebration of baptism, for extending the light to new believers.
In our time, we see Easter and Christmas as the two great celebrations of our faith. The actual celebration of the Epiphany is part of the Christmas season. In the early times, it was the other way around: Epiphany was not only the feast of the Three Kings but also the celebration of the “manifestations of the Lord.” It included the birth of Jesus, his manifestation to the Magi, his baptism in the Jordan, and his miracle at Cana, the first of his “signs.” That in the Eastern Churches, including Jerusalem, Epiphany is called “Christmas Day,” serves as a reminder of the old tradition and underlines the fact that Christmas is an “epiphany,” God’s revelation or manifestation to humankind.
In today’s feast of the Epiphany, the focus is on light. It is the light which shines most brightly on Easter, when darkness is vanquished forever by Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It is the light which shines on the whole of Christ’s mystery, beginning from his birth.
The First Reading recalls the pilgrimage of God’s people toward the light. It is a vision of a people burdened with sin, oppression, and exile, now pardoned and being led to salvation: back to Jerusalem, back to the glory of God. Moreover, they are joined by outsiders, foreign peoples coming in procession with the riches of land and sea.
This Old Testament prophecy directs us to the gospel story about the visit of the Magi. These represent the “nations and peoples” who did not belong to the chosen people of Israel. But they have seen the “star” of the newborn king of the Jews. This “star of wonder, star of light, star of endless beauty bright” represents the royal dignity of the newborn king, the “light of the world,” the “true light which enlightens everyone” (Jn 1:9). The star leads the Magi to Jerusalem, but it disappears as the visitors have an audience with King Herod in his magnificent palace. It is as if light wants to have nothing to do with deception, hypocrisy, and cunning—in short, with darkness that seeks to overcome the light. But as soon as the visitors leave the presence of the king, the star reappears and leads them to the “little town of Bethlehem” where they find the Child-King in a humble abode. Already “wise men,” they are gifted with the wisdom to recognize the divine glory hidden in unlikely faces and places—the good, the poor, the humble, the powerless.
The journey of the Magi provides us with powerful lessons and symbols. Light shines brightly upon those who seek God and open their hearts to him. Light struggles with darkness. As it seeps into the world of arrogance, cunning, and violence, light seems to dim and even disappear. But at the end of the “tunnel” the light appears once more to direct the humble and persevering seekers to the presence of the Lord.