Today we celebrate the epiphany of the Lord. The word epiphany comes from the Greek root epiphainein which means ‘reveal.’ When Jesus was born, the people of Israel, the chosen people of God, had the privilege to encounter him. The feast of Epiphany is a commemoration of the Lord revealing himself to the gentile world. The wise men from the East represent the gentile world. We see the prophecy of Zechariah: “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Lk.1:78-79) The first reading taken from the prophet Isiah shares the prophecy that the gentile world comes in search of the eternal light. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Is. 60:1–3)

As we celebrate the feast, let us reflect on the passion with which these wise men sought the Lord. Though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, only a handful of people came to know of his birth and had the privilege to meet him. These wise men from far saw the star and decided to follow it. Most probably, many have seen this unusual star; however, no one tries to study and understand the purpose of this star. Whereas these wise men were real seekers, and God revealed the mystery behind this star to these people. When they realised this star indicated the birth of the King of Jews, the Messiah, they decided to follow the star and worship him.
In the first century, the journey was not as easy as it is today. They had to pass through the deserts in order to reach Judea. Their journey through the desert, experiencing the extreme heat of the day and the biting cold of the night, could have been equally challenging and dangerous. They were not ready to give up on their passion to have the encounter with the Messiah be greater than any of these hurdles. We all need to imitate their perseverance in our faith journey, especially when we feel the so-called dark night of the soul in our spiritual life, which is marked by various hurdles.

We also encounter King Herod, who came to know from wise men news about the newly born king of Jews. However, he was deeply troubled. Immediately, he calls the religious leaders of the city. They all share the prophecy concerning the Messiah and underline the fact that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. It is interesting to note that all those learned people were there; no one was privileged to meet their Messiah. Whereas Herod wanted to kill the child so that he would not be a threat to his kingdom.

Finally, the wise men encountered the new-born king, worshipped him, and placed their precious gifts, such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Though they decided to go back to the palace of King Herod, the angels of the Lord directed their way and showed them different ways to get back to their homes. As we reflect on this gospel passage today, let us seek the Lord with passion and perseverance like the wise men from the East. Though this journey will not be a cake walk, it will be worth it because our encounter with the Lord will transform our lives, and we will be told to choose the path. In this hope, let us continue to seek the Lord.