EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (C) : Sunday 2nd January 2022

“Arise, shine out, Jerusalem… above you the Lord now rises … the nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness”, proclaims Prophet Isaiah (cf. Is. 6:1-6).

Today we celebrate this revealing of the Lord to the nations (epiphany) — “All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord” (cf. Psalm 71). The three Wise Men represent the nations.

The three Wise Men follow a star, searching for the One who they will give homage to. It disconcerts Herod and the people of Jerusalem to realise that God chooses to reveal himself to outsiders, strangers, and foreigners. The Wise Men see the star and steadily follow it. The people in Jerusalem are stuck in their blindness and hard-heartedness.

St Paul fittingly describes this paradox: “That this mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to many men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body…promise … in Jesus Christ” (cf. Ephesian 3:2-3,5-6).

The Wise Men coming from the East represent all the peoples on the face of the earth. So Jesus is here revealed as ‘infant king of the Jews’ and as Lord of the whole world. The Wise Men fall to their knees in adoration and offer him gifts befitting a king, a priest and a redeemer who will stake his life for his flock.

Heavenly Father, the Lord who was with You, become visible, and has appeared to us. Amen.