Year C

- The Epiphany of the Lord

Falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:1-12

1 WHEN Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
2 Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to adore him.
3 And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born.
5 But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet:
6 And you Bethlehem the land of Juda are not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of you shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them;
8 And sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come to adore him.
9 Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.
10 And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Epiphany of the Lord - Falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Jewish people were expecting the Messiah for thousands of years.
However, my coming into the world was a humble event very obscure to them,
but for the light given off by a star.

I am the light of the world that came to give light to those in darkness. The people who had the light of God through the Holy Scriptures were living in darkness just as the rest of the world.

Only the humble servants of God and a few shepherds received the knowledge of my coming and participated in the coming of the great light that would overcome darkness.

In the same way three very special humble men were chosen from different cultures to perceive in wisdom the great event that was taking place, the coming of the Saviour of the world.

Just as the rain comes for the good and the bad, and the sun shines to virtuous and sinners alike, I have come for everyone. Every human being has been made in the image of God, but sin has destroyed that image. I am the Lord who forgives sins and restores the image of God in every person.

The enemy has always been around trying to destroy the work of God, Herod was preparing to destroy the New King, but the plan of God has always been superior to the plan of the wicked.

The three wise men represent all the peoples of the world, who live in darkness and need my light to survive spiritually. I accepted the homage of these three humble men who went out of their ways to give glory to God by accepting the coming of His Son into the world.

The offering of the incense represents faith in me, Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
This is the greatest gift any one can offer me. This I accept through your prayers and your acceptance of my Word and the Church I left to represent me.

The offering of myrrh represents the suffering that I endured and the sufferings that all those who believe in me must suffer for my sake. It is the cross, which is given to everyone of my followers and requires the acceptance of the Will of God.

The offering of gold represents the treasure of praise, adoration, honour and thanksgiving offered to me, your Lord, God and Saviour. It is the gift that I receive from every soul who appreciates that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Catholic homilies - gospel inspirations - list

The Faith and Reason of Truly Wise Men

Printer Friendly Version

The Faith and Reason of Truly Wise Men

January 5, 2007

The term "epiphany" finds its roots in a word that means "manifestation." The Christ Child is manifested not only to Jewish shepherds, but to Gentile wise men, the Magi.

The story of the Magi reveals to us important symbolism, such as the significance of the gifts presented to Jesus, and God's desire to make Himself known not only to the Jews, but to all men. The Magi's quest to find our blessed Lord also demonstrates an often overlooked lesson: the importance of using one's faith and reason to know and love Jesus better.

The Magi probably weren't kings, but wise men trained in the science of the stars. They probably were persons of means, since they had time to study the stars and didn't have to concern themselves with the affairs of earning a daily wage. Their interest in the star that appeared in the East reveals to us the complementary nature of faith and reason. The Magi are drawn to Bethlehem in two ways. First, they are drawn by intellectual curiosity — they want to learn more about the star they had studied. Second, and more importantly, they are drawn by faith. Rather than simply study the star, they bring gifts to adore the newborn King in an act of faith.

This natural hierarchy that places faith above reason reminds us that objects of faith are more certain than objects of reason. That is why we can say that the articles of the Creed are even more certain than the simple proposition 2+2=4. Why?

Consider the source. God is the source and object of divine revelation, which the articles of the Catholic Faith express. Meanwhile, math equations are only propositions of the human mind, a far less reliable source of information and truth.

And yet the empiricist philosopher tells us to believe that x can only be true if it can be proven. Conversely, faith can't be true since it cannot be calculated. Thus, one's faith is no better than one's opinion — a merely private intellectual musing.

The classic Catholic position teaches the opposite. It says, "If God is the source of the proposition, then it must be true, and in fact more certain than anything the human mind can fathom on its own, because God can neither deceive nor be deceived."

Unfortunately, most persons in the West are taught to think, "If I can't prove it, it's probably not true" — or in moral terms, "If I don't understand or agree with the Church's teaching, the teaching is probably flawed and therefore does not bind me to obey."

St. Anselm contradicted this line of thought by asserting, "I believe so that I may understand." Keep in mind that for Catholics, faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they should be thought of as two wings of the same bird lifting us up to discover and ponder the holy face of God.

In an age of skepticism, where the secularization of society makes faith and reason false opposites, the Magi teach us to appreciate the relationship between faith and reason. We have the capacity to use both gifts to understand better our God as He is, not who we want to make Him out to be so as to satisfy our curiosity or sense of security.

Let us heed the example of the Magi who, driven by faith and reason, were filled with joy when they discovered the Holy Family in Bethlehem.

**The offering of the incense represents faith in me, Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
This is the greatest gift any one can offer me. This I accept through your prayers and your acceptance of my Word and the Church I left to represent me. **

Let us all look at our faith.

**The offering of myrrh represents the suffering that I endured and the sufferings that all those who believe in me must suffer for my sake. It is the cross, which is given to everyone of my followers and requires the acceptance of the Will of God. **

Suffering. This is why the priest mentioned this in my confession tonight. Although he linked it with the word, "bitter."

**The offering of gold represents the treasure of praise, adoration, honour and thanksgiving offered to me, your Lord, God and Saviour. It is the gift that I receive from every soul who appreciates that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.**

So true, Jesus our treasure, we love you!