HOMILY
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord – January 5, 2025
In inaugurating the great Jubilee Year of Hope on Christmas Eve, just a few days ago, Pope Francis invited us to reflect upon the very familiar scene of the manger in Bethlehem that adorns our churches and our homes during this holy season. What do we see as we look at the faces and the stories of all who gathered for the birth of Jesus? “Are our hearts full of expectation?” the Holy Father asked. “Does hope find a place there?” He went on to reflect, “As we contemplate the loving kindness of God who overcomes our doubts and fears, let us also contemplate the grandeur of the hope that awaits us. … May this vision of hope illumine our path each day.”
More than we might imagine, the story of the astrologers and the star of Bethlehem just proclaimed on today’s Solemnity of the Epiphany provides us with a unique lens into the hope of which Pope Francis refers. Let’s look a bit more closely at Saint Matthew’s gospel just proclaimed.
In terms of specifics to the story, we really know very little. If you listened carefully to it, you might have noticed that Matthew doesn’t even call the astrologers kings – nor does he give their names – nor does he report where they came from. In fact, Matthew never even specifies the number of the magi. We traditionally have just presumed that there were three since three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh – were presented to the Christ child. In stripping away the layers that have been added to the story, Matthew’s purpose in telling it can be better understood – a purpose that points to us and the need to fill the emptiness that so often exists within us.
More than any others who arrived in Bethlehem, the magi represent all the different types of individuals to whom the message of salvation is addressed: faithful souls – outsiders – seekers – latecomers – you and me. … Let’s consider how they speak to us.
First, the magi are outsiders. They didn’t belong. They were different. Yet, as Pope Francis noted, the magi “are a living witness to the fact that the seeds of truth are present everywhere, for they are the gift of the Creator, who calls all people to acknowledge him as our good and faithful Father. The magi represent men and woman throughout the world who are welcomed into the house of God. Before Jesus, all divisions of race, language and culture disappear: in that Child, all humanity discovers its unity.”
As such, the presence of these outsiders is a challenge to all of us about the way we welcome individuals who are different than ourselves into our churches – and particularly into our lives. … Today’s gospel is very clear in conveying that there were no outsiders at the birth of Jesus. It is a stark reminder to all of us that no matter how much we may believe that we have cornered the market on God, we are all recipients of his mercy and love, for we all stand on the peripheries of life looking for love and acceptance – because of our life styles, our behaviors, our addictions, our struggles and so many other aspects of our lives. … Thankfully, the message of the gospel proclaimed on this great feast is that all of us are welcome to encounter the Christ. No one is excluded from the love of God.
In addition to being outsiders, the magi were seekers. They were looking for something more in their lives – even if they were uncertain about precisely what would provide them with fulfillment and peace. … They crossed the desert and made their way to Bethlehem with a certain amount of doubt. They weren’t sure of the path that they were taking. They asked questions. They looked for signs. They made mistakes. … They did the types of things that we all do as we move through life trying to make sense of things.
Pope Francis reminds us that the magi “personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home, their heavenly homeland. They reflect the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts be anesthetized.” Moreover, the magi possessed something unique: the humility and the openness of mind and heart to seek and welcome Jesus. … Their following of the star is a journey of faith, a constant search for meaning, for purpose, for the things of God. Nor were they deterred on that journey, even as they encountered people and events along the way that had the potential to keep them from achieving their goal. … Their search mirrors our own life-long search for compassion, justice, peace and forgiveness.
Finally, the magi were latecomers to Bethlehem. It took them a bit of time to decide whether they’d set out on the journey to Bethlehem in the first place. … They were like those souls who flirt with religion when it’s convenient or necessary but, ignore its value and richness in their lives. … Yet even though we might find ourselves a bit critical of such individuals or inclined to question the authenticity of their newfound faith, the gospel tells us that they – the magi and those of us who are like them – are welcomed by Jesus.
Ultimately, the story of the magi provides us with a very clear and vivid framework for how the scriptures speak to our lives. … Not unlike us, the magi were outsiders who wondered if they’d be welcomed in Bethlehem. … They were seekers, not always certain about where they should look. … And they were latecomers who were nonetheless given a place in the life and love of the newborn Christ. … Ultimately, the magi’s journey offers a consoling and hope-filled opportunity for each of us to see our own journey of life and faith somewhere within their own, provided that we look carefully enough.
I hope you can see how today’s celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, for all that it offers to us with its message of challenge and consolation, sets the stage for the great Jubilee Year of Hope.
“All of us,” Pope Francis proclaimed, “have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost, lives broken, promises unkept, dreams shattered, and hearts overwhelmed by adversity. We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted. To bring hope to the interminable, dreary days of prisoners, to the cold and dismal lodgings of the poor, and to all those places desecrated by war and violence. To bring hope there, to sow hope there.
The Jubilee has now opened so that all people may receive hope, the hope of the Gospel, the hope of love and the hope of forgiveness.” Amen!