The Feast of Epiphany: B: January 3, 2021

 THE VISIT OF THE THREE WISE MEN 

First Reading: Isaiah 60: 1-6

Second Reading: Ephesians 3: 2-3 and 5-6

Gospel Reading: Matthew 2: 1-12

   * First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. This passage refers to the joyful return of the people in exile to the holy city of Jerusalem. They find their beloved Jerusalem in ruins. Isaiah encourages them and cheers them up with a vision of a future restored city. The second part of the passage is about the final pilgrimage of the people of God to the heavenly Jerusalem. This prophecy of Isaiah has some echoes in today's feast of Epiphany. 

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Ephesians. In this passage Paul explains to the Christian community in Ephesus that God invites the Jews and Gentiles to share on an equal footing the salvation brought by Christ. The feast of Epiphany reminds us of God's invitation to all people to be part of the salvific event without any distinction of social standing or place of origin. The Church is complete only when both Jews and gentiles live in harmony as members of the body of Christ. 

Epiphany : The manifestation of the Lord.                                                       Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. This passage gives us an account of how the three wise men from the east came to pay homage to infant Jesus at Bethlehem. They paid homage and offered their precious gifts to the divine child. Jewish leaders ignored or rejected the infant in the manger and some of them even plotted to kill him. These three men left their homeland in search of the child. This story of the three wise men is a story of all genuine faith seekers. They left  everything precious to them and were guided by a star. They diligently searched for the child Jesus till they found the child and His mother. When they found Him they worshipped Him. Thus the Gospel story gives us three important messages: 1. It speaks of the journey of the three wise men from the east to Jerusalem. This journey of theirs is a symbol of search for truth by genuine seekers of God. 2. The meeting between the wise men and King Herod tells us that people in authority and power try to suppress and even destroy God's messengers for their own selfish reasons. 3. The wise men paying homage to child Jesus is a touching story of all moments of grace and their total surrender to the Almighty.