The Epiphany of the Lord, Year C, Mt. 2:1-12

Mt. 2:1-12
Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. We read in the Gospel of John: “no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me.” (Jn. 6:44) God reveals himself to those He chooses and to those who seek him earnestly. In today’s gospel passage, we see magi coming from the East come in search of the new born king of the Jews. They approach King Herod, the ruler of the land, who must be aware of all the happenings in his land. However, this great event was unknown to him. Not only was King Herod ignorant of this event, but also the religious leaders such as priests and scribes, though they were aware of the prophecy concerning the birth of the Messiah. The wisemen shared this Good News with great joy, but it did not create joy for King Herod and the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, this Good News was not revealed to them by God. Angels announced to shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favours!” (Lk. 2:14) They were deeply disturbed by hearing this, because they knew about the Messiah, but they were not authentic seekers of truth and wisdom. In today’s second reading, we see Paul acknowledging that God had revealed his mystery to him. Paul was a persecutor of the Church, but he was also an authentic seeker of God. Whereas Herod and other religious leaders sought the Messiah not to worship him but to eliminate him. They were denied the privilege of witnessing the Messiah, who was the light of the nations. Do we have a real thirst for God? We need the divine revelation of God concerning his own person to grow in our spiritual journey. It underlines the fact that God gives his experience to those whom he chooses.
Wisemen encountered the king of Jews in the least expected place. They could not find him in the palace of King Herod, not even in the Jerusalem temple, but in the periphery, in the manger. His parents did not have a royal outlook, yet they recognised the new born king of the Jews and offered their best gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They offered their own life at his feet. In the first reading, we see the prophecy of Isaiah saying: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…” (Is.60:1) Did we, like the wisemen, receive light to encounter God in the periphery? Do we share our best gifts like these magi with our needy brethren in the periphery?
The Magi missed their route and ended up in Herod’s palace, but once they encountered Jesus, who is the truth, they allowed themselves to be possessed by the truth. They were guided by the Spirit and did not get back into the traps of King Herod. They experienced a total transformation in their lives. Possessed by the truth and experiencing the manifestation of eternal truth in the new born king, they returned in peace like shepherds, Simeon, Anna, etc., who had the same experience of the new born. What will we feel after this Christmas season? If we feel emptiness, we just had a mere Christmas celebration, but if we experience peace within, then we can be sure that we had a Christ encounter like the Magi. May the Good Lord help all of us with his grace to seek him, to surrender our lives to him, and be possessed by him…