Reading excerpts Psalm 72 R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you Gospel of Matthew When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem (because an ancient Micah prophecy pointed to it) and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
The Epiphany Event is often described as when the outsiders or foreigners come to visit Jesus in His infancy. The Bethlehem Birth Night Event is all Jewish persons in the story; yet Matthew’s Gospel presents the arrival of magi from the east to see the Child Jesus. Foreigners. Non-Jews. Surprise visitors. Let’s see what that might mean for us today.
Happy Epiphany everybody. So now that it’s Epiphany, we can all feel included. Matthew’s gospel offers that. Luke’s gospel has shepherds and local, Jewish Bethlehem people and an all Jewish crowd looking at a Jewish baby for that December 25th day or Day of the Lord’s Nativity. But the Epiphany event, as recorded by Matthew’s gospel, changes the audience and the kind of people seeing the Christ Child. These are foreigners come in. And they are invited in by God from afar. Much like us, I’ll point out.
In Bethlehem 2025 years ago, the Anointed One of the Jews, The Christ, was born. That’s long ago and far away from us in modern-day, mostly Gentile Burtonsville. I thought Seba or Sheba or Arabia was far from Jesus’ birth—but we have it beat. Yet, like the Lord Who led these magi to find Jesus and the hope for humanity, He has led us. Consider whatever the Lord did to bring you to Himself. Like the magi, you were once the stranger or outsider to this Messianic moment, this start of Incarnation, of the Word among us, and of salvation poured forth to sinners. Yet here you have Christmas. You’ve come to know the Incarnate Lord. Jesus Christ.
It’s a good thing there is the Little Christmas of Epiphany. Jesus was more than just the King of the Jews or Messiah for Israel—he is proclaimed as the Light of the Gentiles. That’s good because it includes most of us into the picture. The Gentiles. If your name is Murray Cohen or Sarah Epstein—then excuse me, you’re of Jewish lineage, but praise God then that you have come to know Messiah Yeshua. Christ or Christmas was first proclaimed for you long-waiting Jews of the Covenant. We Gentiles were happy to be included in to what Messiah, this King of the Jews would do for humankind. Jesus is Lord of all. We are glad. It’s Epiphany, Christmas for we foreigners or outsiders.
I first preached about this view in my first parish of St. Mary’s in Rockville. During the homily, a senior couple at Mass were chuckling a bit to it. You see, their names were Carl and Helen Fahrner. F a h r n e r. They told me afterward—we always have a Fahrner Christmas, every year whether on Dec. 25th or January feast of the Kings. “You sure do,” I responded! They said: “But we get what you were saying. Jesus has offered out salvation to the world, that all peoples may be saved.”
You may know the saint’s names attributed to Epiphany, of Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar, and that they came weeks or months after Christmas, with gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Some wise guy says he knows why they brought those gifts. Gold for its value and Frankincense for its warmth and nice smells, and myrrh—- because that magi wanted Jesus to have a myrrhy Christmas. ‘Get it?
The magi were foreigners and it is thought that they came from Arabia, Seba, India, Syria or Ethiopia—yet if you read Psalm 72 as a prophecy, in that caravan with the camels and gifts coming from where the Queen of Sheba once did for King Solomon, then you might go for that Ethiopian-oriented magi, at least for one or three magi. Yet whatever might be described in the Magi visit (and I like the one that has one from the land of Ur in Persia coming from the line of Seth and in taking Abraham’s route there), Epiphany Christmas changes the Bethlehem Nativity Story. It totally changes it. Matthew chapter 2 does this. It’s now Christmas for outsiders welcome to Jesus.
In reading Luke’s infancy narrative at its gospel start, it tells that for many weeks Jesus and Mary and Joseph have been living in this celebrated City of David’s birthplace. Jesus has been born, circumcised and named on the 8th day, and brought to Jerusalem for a 40th day Presentation in the Temple and back—with all of it being in an all Jewish audience or surrounding. But at the Epiphany event of Matthew, all must re-orient the story. Jesus is visited by outsiders or foreigners. God has led them there, even using a Star, while also prophecies of the Jews and of longing of humanity. It is a significant part of the Christmas story that now he has king of Israel, but also Lord of the Gentiles. Luke’s gospel gives a hint of this when Simeon prophecies over the 40 day old child that he has this double identity. He has come for Israel, but he is a blessing to the world. Now the world is coming to him and in some mystery.
The Magi appear solely in the Gospel of Matthew, which states that they came “from the east” (Greek ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν – apo anatolōn) to worship the “one who has been born king of the Jews.”
The most important line in this Epiphany gospel is that they came to worship Him, and how they prostrated themselves before Him—much before any gifts are shown. It tells that God is first interested at Christmas in the gift of the heart, of the worship of a believer, of the acknowledgment that God is come here to us and we are moved by it.
Tradition has it that there is a deep meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold is a symbol of divinity and is mentioned throughout the Bible. Pagan idols were often made from gold and the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-17). The gift of gold to the Christ child was symbolic of His divinity—God in flesh. Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark and allowing the gum to flow out. It is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God (Exodus 30:34). Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering. As we have Eucharistic adoration here every Friday afternoon of the year and every first Saturday morning of each month, we burn the incense to the praise of the Lord Who is in Eucharist to us. God moves people to come and see. I thank our Adoration attendees, as I see in your witness some of the magi’s yearning.
Myrrh, a product of Arabia, was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. It was a spice and was used in embalming. It was also sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. Such a drink was given to our Savior when He was about to be crucified, as a stupefying potion (Mark 15:23). Matthew 27:34 refers to it as “gall.” Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. It is so much a prophetic kind of gift. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him. Now He is the Lamb of God for us in sacrament.
Outsiders have Epiphany (and Christmas) to wander in to experience Christ Jesus.
Yet I have seen on Christmas and this feast of the outsiders of people who are the once-in-a-blue moon visitors to be looked at with strange eyes, and be told “uh, sir, that’s my regular seat at Mass. Why are you in it?” Maybe we can tease the C & E Catholics, but be careful about it. Christmas is God’s way of bringing His own back to Him, even to the innocent Jesus in the manger.
I have seen poor people of little means not feel welcome at the local church, and I’ve had to pastorally open up more doors for them. I’ve seen people of ethnic background not exactly feel equally welcomed at a parish or of their customs, so I think of them on Epiphany and hope for the multi-cultural mission, or of people gathering to keep some Catholic practices learned on foreign soils, to be tried here.
I’ve seen committees or clicks have a control on the parish of who’s of influence or who’s in charge of what happens—like some of the elite religious who’ll be against Jesus all throughout the gospel of Matthew account—hence, this type of opening is given. I’ve seen people who have been in questionable practices to others—who came in to experience Jesus, even in seeking, honoring way, with a bent will to God—who got some scorn from people in the pews. They didn’t look right to them. I’ve seen it, but pray in God’s mercy and justice that the Church move to where the Spirit of God unites us, and cleanses us of our sins. Maybe if we did see ourselves as the outsider Gentile or foreigner magi as so happily blessed to get close to Christ Jesus, then we’d understand Little Christmas is for us, and these others called to The Lord.
I realize that many of you here agree with all that—and how you have tried to be welcoming—and bring in even new people to the Lord. I think of a Jehovah’s Witness once brought here who is now a Catholic and pondering religious life. Thanks. I think of a non-Catholic and former resident of this Paint Branch neighborhood who came to see his parents but wandered in here. He is now a Catholic and was married in a Cathedral this year to a Catholic, for his journey came to find Jesus here. Now he is in an out-of-state parish. He’s glad the Catholic faith has convenient branches. I think of you who had a neighbor start coming here, likely because of your witness—thanks, we see them here. We’re glad. I am happy for a person that I met and got involved in a young adult club of Catholics. This person was from a place in the Indian ocean of which I’d never heard about. They are now active in the next parish over—close to their home.
It makes me think of the spiritual message that St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, of how God was uniting different people into His one body. It in from chapter two, for through him (Jesus) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.[
Happy Epiphany!
