Traditionally, the thirteenth day of Christmastide, January 6, is the feast of Epiphany of the Lord, to conclude the season of Christmas. But in the USCCB jurisdiction, Epiphany is liturgically celebrated on Sunday between January 2 and January 8. This year (2024), this feast falls on the first Sunday of January, January 7.
Though Christmastide is extended until the feast of
the Baptism of the Lord, which is celebrated on Sunday after January 6,
following Sunday from Epiphany Sunday. However, when Epiphany Sunday falls on
January 7 or after, then the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the following
day. It means that we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord on Monday, January 8,
2024.
Christmastide is punctuated with a revelation of God,
also known as, theophany. The etymology of the word, “theophany”, in Greek,
gives meaning that God (theos)
manifests (phaino) visibly, because
this Greek verb, “phaino”, is related
to “phos”, which means “light” in
Greek.
The very first theophany is the Nativity of the Lord.
It was when Mary gave birth to the incarnated Christ. It was when the invisible
God was visibly and tangibly manifested in the human flesh of Jesus to Mary and
Joseph, then, to the shepherds (Luke 2:6-20).
Later on, God revealed Himself to Gentiles afar, the magi by the star
first, then, manifesting in a little baby in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12). God’s
manifestation in baby Jesus to the magi, is known as Epiphany. Furthermore, on
another occasion, the divine manifestation in baby Jesus was also recognized by
Simeon and Anna when Mary and Joseph brought him in the Temple for firstborn
dedication to God(Luke 2:22-38). And, God also manifested to John the Baptist in
the human flesh of Jesus when he came to be baptized (Matthew 3:13-17; cf. John
1:29-34). After that, God continued to manifest in Jesus publicly as he began
his ministry.
Some recognized Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ,
but others did not (John 12:37-43). And it was those who refused to recognize
God in Jesus conspired the Roman authority to kill him (John 18:1-19:37). But
he rose from the dead and manifested to his disciples until returning to the
Father in heave by ascension (Luke 24:13-53) for 40 days (Acts 1:3).
Basically, the Gospel narratives describe how the very
first theophany in the Nativity of the Lord took place and how series of
theophanies afterwards impacted the world in regard to our salvation. One question to ask in reading the Gospel
stories is how God has been revealing Himself to us, through theophanies in
Jesus, who is the incarnated Christ the Son of God.
What exactly Epiphany is in terms of theophany?
Epiphany (ἐπιφάνεια),
in essence, is a theophany (θεοφάνεια),
which means manifestation of God. The word, epiphany, which is composed of “epi”(from above) and “phaino”(to show forth), literally means
“manifesting from above”, while the word, theophany, means “manifestation of
God”. For theophany, what manifests (phaino) from above is God (theos).
In the Roman Catholic Church, Epiphany refers to God
manifesting from above to the magi (Matthew 2:11). But in the Greek Orthodox
Church, ἐπιφάνεια, the word,
epiphany, is usually referred to the incarnation, as the invisible Holy Spirit
descended from above onto Mary’s womb (Luke 1:35), while the word, theophany,
refers to the Baptism of the Lord, as all three in Trinity were present with
Jesus, as the Holy Spirit descended on him and the Father spoke, (Matthew
3:16-17), reflecting a manifestation of the Trinity. Given these words of
Zechariah, “because of the tender mercy of our Gods by which the daybreak
from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s
shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace”(Luke 1:78-79), the
incarnated Christ in the human flesh of Jesus is “epiphany” as he is a
manifestation of God from above, the daybreak or the rising sun, from above, it
makes sense to consider the incarnation as the first epiphany, though he was
only visible inside Mary’s womb at that time. But the nativity fits perfectly
to this definition of epiphany.
What is so special about Epiphany? How is this
particular theophany to the magi ccdifferent from other theophanies?
Namely, it was the first known manifestation of God to
Gentiles. So we can understand that God who first manifested to Jews
(Israelites) or made theophanies to Jews (Israelites) through Nativity and
Presentation also revealed Himself to non-Jews. By Epiphany, God, who was
thought to be of Israel, revealed Himself to the eyes of three wise men in the
east, known as the magi, who were far from Israel. But, the revelation to the
magi was not in an ostentatious way but in a way that they had to discern
first. So this is how the Magi began to acknowledge the Epiphany, manifestation
of God in the incarnated Christ, as the newborn king of the Jews, through his
star while they were far outside Israel. Thus, the magi said to Herod the Great
upon arriving in Jerusalem.
Where
is the newborn king of the Jews? We see his star at its rising and have come to
do him homage (Matthew 2:2).
These three Gentile men with extremely advanced
learning recognized that the rising star over Israel was a definite divine sign
to show the birth of the divine king of the Jews. The star that was rising
above Israel to be seen by the magi afar east fits a definition of Epiphany as
“epi” also means “above”, as well as,
“from above”, and “phaino” means “to
show forth”, “manifest”. And the way of manifestation is visible because “phaino” is related to “phos”(light).
Perhaps, the magi knew and thought of this oracle of
Balaam, though it does not necessarily refers to the star that the magi
observed but rather metaphorically refers to David’s victories over Moab and Edom
(2 Samuel 8:2, 11-14):
I
see him, tough not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from
Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel (Numbers 24:17).
Even though the star that shall advance from Jacob may
not represent the star rising above Israel, seen by the magi, but symbolic
representation of victorious David, it can still suggest the visible
manifestation of Christ, because he is the ultimate Davidic King that God
promised (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:1-7;11:1-16;Luke 1:32-33).
Balaam, who foresaw the victory of Israel by David was
a pagan prophet, obviously foresaw the power of God of Israel. Then, at the
time of the magi, this God of Israel, who made David a triumphant king of
Israel, revealed Himself to them, first by manifesting in the star rising above
Israel, making it visible the magi, who were far from Israel. And it was God’s
way to bring a new covenant through His Son, whose eternal reign as the
ultimate Davidic King, to be further revealed and manifested. Reminding a lesson
from Exodus, so that we listen to Him (Psalm 95), God shows His will to bring
justice and salvation by His victorious power over the darkness of devil (Psalm
96-99). Namely, God’s manifestation to the gentiles means to show His power to
all the ends of the earth, to start a new Exodus into the eternal Davidic
Kingdom in heaven, through His Son, now manifesting visibly, first, through the
star rising over Israel, as seen by the magi.
In fact, the Epiphany of the Lord, Christ’s visible
manifestation, beyond the national border of Israel, has been prophesized, for
example, through below words, especially as light:
Your
own eyes shall see it, and you will say, “Great is the Lord, even beyond the
land of Israel”(Malachi 1:5).
For
from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is great among the
nations; And everywhere they bring sacrifices to my name and a pure offering:
For great is my name among the nations, says the Lord of hosts
(Malachi 1:11).
The people who walked in darkness have
seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing; They rejoice before you
as people rejoice at harvest, they exult when dividing the spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them, the pole
on their shoulder, The rod of their taskmaster, you have smashed, as on the day
of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to
us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,
Upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment
and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!
Isaiah 9:1-6 (Christmas
Midnight Mass First Reading)
And you, child, will be
called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his
ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of
their sins, because of the tender mercy of our Gods which the daybreak from on
high will visit us to shine on those who
sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace
(Luke 1:76-79, from the Gospel Reading of December 24 (Luke 1:67-79, Benedictus)).
Arise! Shine, for your
light has come, the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. Though darkness
covers the earth, and thick clouds, the peoples, Upon you the Lord will dawn,
and over you his glory will be seen.
Nations shall walk by
your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning.
Raise your eyes and look
about; they all gather and come to you—Your sons from afar, your daughters in
the arms of their nurses. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall
throb and overflow. For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you, the
wealth of nations shall come to you. Caravans of camels shall cover you, dromedaries
of Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and
heralding the praises of the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-6, First
Reading, Epiphany of the Lord).
It is evident that God is
not just the God of Israel but God of the universe. Through Epiphany, He begins
to reveal Himself in Christ the Son, as incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus,
so that people of all nations will come to God in Christ the Son manifesting to
worship him and to work in his path (Isaiah 2:2-3), as his holy servants
(Isaiah 56:3-8), bringing gifts to glorify him (Isaiah 60:4-9).
The Gospel Reading
(Matthew 2:1-12) describes how the magi responded the light of the incarnated
Christ’s manifestation, reflecting the above prophecies of Isaiah, Malachi, and
Zechariah.
In response to the
beginning of God’s manifestation to the Gentiles through the star rising above
Israel. Recognizing that this star signals the birth of the king of the Jews, the
magi wasted not time and started their journey to make homage to the newborn
king as lead by the star, bringing their respective gifts for him.
The magi’s pilgrimage
journey, however, faced a serious obstacle: Herod the Great, who was greatly
disturbed, feeling threatened by the king of the Jews, about whom the magi
inquired him of. Herod did not want to have his power taken by another “king”,
as it was given by the Roman Senate, to directly rule the Jews, under the
dictate of Caesar in Rome. So, Herod asked his advisors to find our where the
Christ was to be born. And, citing Micah 5:2, they told Herod, in Bethlehem.
The, Herod ordered the magi to give him a report on where they find the newborn
king of the Jews in Bethlehem, with an intention to kill him.
Then, the star they saw and followed to Jerusalem further led the magi to a house where the newborn king of the Jews, the incarnated Christ, was. They overjoyed to have finally reached the destination and encountered him with his mother, Mary. Prostrating themselves and paying homage to the king, they opened their respective gifts to him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These very expensive gifts from the magi showed that they acknowledge the newly born incarnated Christ, not only as king of the Jews but also as God and as the suffering servant, described in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. So gold for the kingship, frankincense for the divinity, and myrrh for suffering and death. Then, being warned in dream, the magi took a different route in departing, not to returning to Herod.
The magi represent us, Gentile Christians. They had
been looking for a divine sign for the birth of the Christ (Messiah), the new
Jewish king. The reign of Herod the Great represents the darkness of evil, as
Herod was a ruthless but insecure dictator. Josephus, a Jewish historian of
that time, indicates that Herod the Great, whose ancestors were Idumeans but converted
to Judaism, was pathologically insecure due to narcissism. Because of his such
psychological pathology, he not only ordered to kill all children of age two
and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity in order to kill the newborn king of
the Jews (Matthew 2:13) but also to kill his own wife, Mariamne, and other
family members.
Now, what lesson can we learn from the Gospel narrative
of Epiphany, the magi’s recognition of a sign of the incarnated Christ’s birth
by watching the right star, which rose above Israel, taking a great risk to
journey all the way to Israel, and rejoicing so greatly in encountering the Christ
in Epiphany, and giving extremely expensive gifts?
Just as it is a lesson on the First Sunday of Advent (Matthew
24:377-44(A); Mark 13:33-37(B); Luke 21:25-2, 34-36(C)) to begin preparing for
the coming of the incarnated Christ, the magi were vigilant in their
discernment for a right sign of God’s manifestation.
Because of their pensiveness, the magi found a sign,
the star. But to get to where God shows with the star from where they were was
extremely difficult and could cost their lives for being attacked by wild
beasts or being robbed. That is why Tobit made sure his son, Tobias, would
travel with a companion he could trust (Tobit 5:15-21). Traveling afar in the
days of the magi or any era during the biblical time was very dangerous. In
many cases, people left their living wills before they departed for their
journeys, in case they would not return home alive.
The magi were firmly resolved to make pilgrimage to
where the star shone above, in order to worship him, even though they might not
make it because of an unexpected fatal calamity.
Do we have the same determination to find and
encounter Christ? Then, why only about 25% baptized Catholics show up for Mass
in these days under the USCCB jurisdiction? Whenever Mass is celebrated, the incarnated
Christ makes “epiphany”, as bread and wine are transubstantiated into the very
body and blood of Christ through epiclesis, the Holy Spirit descending from
above. How many these baptized Catholics have to make a challenging journey so
far as the magi did to encounter Christ at Mass? For nearly 75% of the baptized
Catholics, it seems that preference is to stay in darkness and to remain blind
to the light of “epiphany”.
Another lesson is to know that our journey of faith to
encounter Christ in his “epiphany” will face obstacles, because devil wants to
block or even destroy our path to meet Jesus. In the case of the magi, a major
obstacle was dealing with cunny Herod.
Furthermore, we cannot encounter Christ emptyhanded.
The magi brought very expensive gifts for him. What about us?
Our gifts do not have to be expensive moneywise. Rather,
we are to bring our best to him, because he is the King, God the Son, and
Christ of ultimate sacrifice to save us. In thinking of what is our best gifts
for him, remember this commandment: You shall love the Lord,
your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole
strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Finally, our life shall be transformed upon
encountering Christ in “epiphany”. The fact that the magi did not take the same
way back but a different route, reflects a new life after making homage to the
newborn king of the Jews in Epiphany. So, how has your life been transformed
since you encountered the newborn King of all kings (Revelation 19:16)?
As the feast of Epiphany traditionally marks the conclusion
of Christmastide, each of us must be able to answer this question. And the fact
that our post-Epiphany life is transformed means that Paschal Mystery has been
revealed to us so that we become coheirs of God’s salvific and redemptive
promise and responsible steward of His grace (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6).
Epiphany, therefore, is a transformative theophany, so that we life a new life in Christ, who is manifesting in light. This way, we shall become light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).
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