Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany – 7 January 2024

At the heart of Christmas is this truth: God has moved into our lives, entering quietly and humbly, out of love for us and for our salvation.

The English poet, T. S. Eliot, in his poem, “Journey of the Magi”, wrote, “A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey...”

Eliot presents the Magi as weary, questioning, even ambivalent - yet faithful. The journey is costly and uncomfortable, and by the end one of the Magi reflects: “I should be glad of another death.”

What an extraordinary story we hear in today’s Gospel. True to biblical economy, we are given only the bare essentials. Yet it is not for nothing that the journey of the Magi from the East to encounter the Christ-child has inspired artists and poets down through the centuries. Think of the risk in leaving the comfort of their homes; the determination and curiosity that drove them on; the mystery of the guiding star; the political and murderous intrigue of King Herod; and finally, the awe and wonder of discovering the child of Bethlehem.

With this feast we mark another moment in the great Christmas mystery: the making known of the Saviour not only to Israel, but to the nations - to the non-Jewish world. The word epiphany means a showing or manifestation of God’s presence. In this great Epiphany, God reveals himself among us and for all of us in the Christ-child.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah is rich with traditional Epiphany imagery: guidance by light; kings on the move; a procession of peoples toward the glory of God; camels carrying the wealth of nations; gifts of gold and frankincense. What hope these words must have given the people of Israel after the trauma of exile. They would have been deeply encouraged by this promise of God’s light dawning again on Jerusalem. May today’s

Feast of the Epiphany give us similar hope and encouragement at the beginning of this new year—a promise of blessing and of God’s faithful care.

That prophecy in Isaiah is fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew. Kings bearing gifts do indeed come, recognising that salvation has entered the world through the birth of Jesus. The Magi represent the kings and peoples of the whole earth.

At the heart of Christmas is this truth: God has moved into our lives - into our world, our history, our humanity. He entered quietly: on straw, in a stable, beneath a star. The cry from the infant Christ’s throat is a declaration of love for all humanity. The Creator of the universe, the infinite God, emptied himself to take on our human nature, becoming a vulnerable and defenceless child, out of love for us and for our salvation. God comes among us in solidarity with our human experience.

In today’s feast we see the revelation of God’s plan of salvation. Jesus is the universal Saviour. By choosing the Jewish people and forming them according to his heart, God prepared the way for salvation to reach all peoples—Jews and Gentiles alike. Israel was chosen so that the Messiah might be given to the whole world. This is the message proclaimed by St Paul in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians:

“In Christ Jesus, Gentiles and Jews are co-heirs, members of the same body, sharers of the same promise.”

In the Epiphany, we celebrate with generations of Christians that we too are included in God’s saving plan.

The story of the Magi speaks powerfully of our own search for God. These wise men used the tools of their culture and learning in their search for truth. They were stargazers—astrologers and astronomers—who, according to their tradition, sought to discern God’s will in the stars.

The journey of the Magi following the star mirrors our own pilgrimage of faith: the lifelong search for meaning, purpose, and God himself. Their journey expresses the deep yearning of the human heart. As St Augustine wrote:

“You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”

There is this God-shaped emptiness in each of us that can only be filled with God, and our lives will yearn for God until we have encountered him.

We are created to know, love, and serve God, and in doing so to find our true happiness, both now and forever. Knowing our weakness, God does not allow this purpose to be frustrated. No matter how much we search, we never fully find God on our own terms. Rather, we come to know God because he seeks us out, desires us, and reveals himself to us. All we can do is open ourselves to that longing within us. God has revealed himself to those who came before us, and he continues to reveal himself to us, so that our deepest yearning may be fulfilled. God is passionately in love with us and shows himself to us so that we can know him and love him.

Let us not be like Herod—self-absorbed, inward-looking, paranoid, and fearful. His dependence on wealth and power made him ruthless and blind to the beauty of God revealed in the Christ-child. Instead, let us look to the Magi as models of faith. They took risks; they were open to wonder and joy; they were generous and humble; they listened to God’s promptings, even through dreams; and they offered themselves in worship.

What might we take from them today? How can we open ourselves more fully to the God who calls us? What step of faith are we being invited to take?

Isn’t it wonderful that when the Magi found the Christ-king, there was no disappointment on their part? Even though they found that he lived not in a palace surrounded with officials and servants, but rather he was lying in a feeding trough surrounded by the smells of farm animals, instead of being under-whelmed, they humbly fell to their knees and presented their finest gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - gifts signifying royalty, divinity, and sacrificial death. Pope St Leo the Great in his homily for this Feast in the fifth century wrote,

“They worshipped the Child in a manger, yet recognised the Lord of heaven and earth.”

Only when we humble ourselves before the mystery of God revealed in the Infant Jesus do we begin to glimpse who God truly is. God’s presence is awe-inspiring not because it is frightening or overpowering, but because it is humble, beautiful, and loving. Inspired by the Magi, may we bring before this humble God the gift of ourselves and all that we have.