“They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 

and on entering the house

they saw the child with Mary his mother.

They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. This is one of the oldest feasts in the Church Calendar. The Greek word Epiphany (Epiphaneia) means ‘appearance’ or ‘manifestation.’ The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates Jesus’ first appearance to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi. Who were these men, sometimes called kings? We don’t know a whole lot about them. The main thing we know is that they were not Jewish. And this is significant. A few days after the birth of the Lord, gentiles and pagans were summoned to follow a star to Israel where the One the ages waited for was born. They followed the star because they were good men honestly seeking God’s will. Indeed, Jesus Christ came for all people. None were to be excluded from the Grace of God that He would bring. We recognize that all people are called to the Grace of God given by Jesus Christ. We cannot bring people the Good News of Jesus Christ if we exclude them from the charity of the Lord with which we have been entrusted. Jesus did not come for a select group of people. He came for all people.

We come to Church every Sunday to celebrate Mass. That word ‘Mass’ means ‘Sending.’ We come to Church to receive the gifts of God and are sent to bring these gifts to all of the people of the world. We are sent to bring the good news of the joy of the Gospel to those who have been marginalized by society. We are sent to heal those who are hurting, whether they believe in Christ or not. We are sent to aid those who are caring for the needy, whether they follow the totality of Catholic morality or not. People who are excluded will never find Christ. People who experience his presence in the charity of other Christians, will be attracted to worship the One who is the source of charity. Pope Francis reaffirmed that “No one has ever been converted by an argument. People are converted by the presence of Christ they experience in sincere Christians.”

In the Gospel, the Magi left their homes and material security behind and experienced hardships on the road as the star momentarily disappeared. They did not have the GPS systems we have today, although even using GPS I sometimes get lost! To follow a star, we need to travel in the darkness of night. This makes for a good metaphor of our lives of faith, often in darkness not knowing exactly where we are going, yet somehow reaching out in faith and trust to try to see where God is leading us to the light. Christ illuminates our lives with his light and divine presence. The Word became flesh (cf. Jn 1:14) and remains with us always.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, let us worship Jesus with the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility and the frankincense of our adoration. Let us offer God our very selves, promising Him that we will use His blessings to do good for our fellow men. Let us plot a better path for our lives. Just as the Magi chose another route to return to their homes, let us choose a better way of life, abstaining from evil habits and bad behaviors. We are called to change of direction as we begin this New Year. We don’t want to go through another year like we just did. Let us become the star, leading others to Jesus, as the star led the Magi to Him. We can remove or lessen the darkness of the evil around us by being, if not like stars, at least like candles, radiating Jesus’ love by selfless service, unconditional forgiveness, and compassionate care. May we who reflect on the story of the Magi as we complete the festivities of Christmas, allow the Magi to become our models. May we follow them to Bethlehem and worship Christ. May we give to Christ all that we have and all that we are.