EPIPHANY (A)
Mt 2,1-12
Epiphany means manifestations. In the original sense, it meant the first light that appears on the horizon before the sun rises. This light was taken as a symbol of spiritual illumination in all religions; that’s why light always comes from the east.
Every manifestation of God is universal. God cannot have privileges. We are not celebrating the date of an event. Rather, we are celebrating the reality of what God is and the joy of being able to discover it. It is a fantastic story that is not original to Christianity.
The Nativity of Jesus was celebrated on January 6th throughout the Church for several centuries. Later in the West, it began to be celebrated on December 25th, and the date of January 6th was reserved for celebrating the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Wedding at Cana.
When Jesus was born, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The entire account unfolds in Matthean language. It makes very clear that those nearby reject Jesus for what He is, and those from afar seek Him and accept Him as what He is: light that illuminates every man.
Throughout the centuries, the story has been embellished with affirmations that are not in the text, but that today everyone believes. The story does not say that there were three. Much less their names. Nor does it say they were kings. Nor does “Magi” have, in any way, the meaning that we give to the word mage today. magoi meant member of the priestly caste.
Attempts made throughout history to explain the possibility of a celestial phenomenon that would explain the star do not deserve further comment. Neither comet nor star nor conjunction of celestial bodies makes any sense. It is a symbolic story.
It also defies logic that all of Jerusalem was startled by Herod. The announcement of a king different from himself could only provoke joy, not fear, among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Matthew is thinking of the Jerusalem that put Jesus to death. For Matthew, the rejection of the Jews is constant and prior to any manifestation of Jesus.
Herod’s fear is also our fear. The reign of God is a threat to our selfishness. How many times in our lives have we said: I don’t believe this, when we wanted to say: I don’t like this. A God who reigns without letting us reign, we are not interested. We will continue to miss the point, and the encounter will not occur.
The experts know everything about the Messiah, but settled in their privileges, they do not lift a finger to verify it. The pagans adore the Child, the Jews try to kill him. The pagans recognize the Child, the Jews do not recognize him.
The Scriptures can indicate the path to follow when we pass through starless places or times. But the value of Scripture depends on the attitude of the one who studies it. The Bible must be approached without prejudice and open to what it will tell us.
Man must let himself be illuminated by his star, but he must also be a guide for others. Our obligation is to show others the God of Jesus, manifested in our life. We make God present whenever we go to help others.
The story launches us beyond a church. God always manifests to everyone. The moment we feel privileged, we have shattered the message of this feast. We all receive everything from God, and we all have the obligation to learn from each other and teach. We must complete our truth by accepting the truth of others.
What we celebrate today is God’s openness to all men. Wherever there is a human being growing in humanity, loving others, there is God. We cannot make a proposal to the gentiles for them to convert to our religion.
Fray Marcos
English version translated with AI