THE STAR AND THE THREE WISE MEN FROM THE EAST
Introduction: Today we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany : The manifestation of the divine in human form in the new born babe of Bethlehem. The Magi (the three wise men) represent genuine seekers of truth from every age and culture. God offers gift of knowing Him to all people. Like the wise men who embarked on a very long and tedious journey in search of Christ Child and found Him and recognized Him as the saviour of the world, we too will find Him if we make an earnest effort to look for Him in the world around us.
First Reading: Isaiah 60: 1 to 6
Second Reading: Ephesians 3: 2 to 3 and 5 to 6
Gospel Reading: Matthew 2: 1 to 12
*First reading is from the book of prophet Isaiah. After the Babylonian exile, the people of Israel return to their homeland and they find Jerusalem in ruins. Isaiah encourages the people with the vision of a restored city and the Lord God's glory shinning on it. The Prophet promises them that the scattered children of Israel will return to Jerusalem and multitudes of people will come from all corners of the world to worship the true God. They will come with gifts of gold and frankincense. Thus Isaiah alludes to the future manifestation of the Lord to people of all nations.
*Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Ephesians. Paul expresses the truth that God invites everyone - both Jews and Gentiles - to share on an equal footing the salvation brought by Jesus Christ. This invitation is for all people belonging to every tribe and tradition to accept the revelation of God's salvation.
The three wise men came to worship Christ Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. A narration about how the three wise men came to Jerusalem to pay homage to Christ - the divine Child - is given. While the Jewish authorities fail to acknowledge Him, they travel from darkness into true light. The sudden appearance of a bright star indicates the birth of a great and powerful leader. The wise men follow the star's course until they reach Judea. They go to Herod's palace expecting the new born King there. Instead, they meet Herod who is wicked to the core. He seeks to kill the divine Child. From there, they travel to Bethlehem and find the Babe in a manger with mother Mary and St. Joseph. They pay their respect to Him and offer gifts to the divine Child: Gold, frankincense and myrrh. When they leave their gifts with Child Jesus, they in return receive the great gift: The gift of knowing who Jesus is. Thus they are enriched by their encounter with the divine Child. The three wise men represent all those journey in hope to Jesus and find in Him their heart's desire. After meeting Child Jesus, they return to their own country. Faith in Jesus is not to be limited to any geographical or cultural boundary but is a gift to be shared with others.
Conclusion: The feast of Epiphany is a symbol of our pilgrimage through life to Christ the Lord. It invites each one of us to see ourselves as images of the wise men in our journey to Christ. In today's Gospel, we see three reactions to the birth of Jesus. First reaction is hatred, second is indifference and third is adoration. First group headed by Herod planned to destroy Jesus. Second group composed of priests and scribes, ignored the birth of Jesus. And the third group, the shepherds and the wisemen , adored the Lord and offered themselves and their gifts to Jesus. Let the Feast of Epiphany lead us to share this experience with others as the wise men did.
May the divine Child who blessed the three wise men bless you with His heavenly blessings and lead you to eternal light. Amen.
(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, January 4, 2026." Thanks.)
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