The Epiphany of the Lord

Today's Mass Readings

 “We celebrate a holy day adorned by three miracles: this day, a star led the Magi to the manger; this day, water was changed into wine at the marriage feast; this day Christ, for our salvation, willed to be baptized by John in the Jordan, Alleluia.” This Antiphon, which is chanted by the monks at second Vespers of this great Solemnity, reveals to us the three-fold blessings of this day, in which Christ’s divinity is made manifest to the world. And as I reflect on these Epiphanies of our Lord I realize that these three miracles are not just something that happened 2000 years ago but they are happening to us now and serve as a guide for our lives.

In the story of the Magi from the East, who followed the star to seek out the newborn king in order to pay him homage; we can see that we too are called to follow Christ’s light revealed to us throughout our lives. The stars in our lives that lead us to Christ are many; they can be the love of a friend or family member, the beautiful consolations and moments of peace in prayer, or the grace we receive by faithful participation at the Eucharist, and many others could be named. We must look to these stars and respond to them, we must follow them and when we are led to Christ we to must give thanks and pay him homage.

We can see in the Wedding feast at Cana that Christ provides for us when we fall short or are lacking in some way. When we feel that we are not worthy or are unable to live out the mission that God is calling us into, we take solace in the words of St. Paul, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Phil. 4:13) Through Christ the water of our humanity will be transformed into the wine of His Divine love which gives us the strength to bear much fruit for his kingdom so that we might enter into the Eternal wedding feast of the Lamb.

And In the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan as Jesus approaches, St. John tries to prevent the action by saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus replies, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” When Jesus comes to us do we say, “why me?” or “I am not worthy.” These doubts can prevent our cooperation with Christ that can bring his righteousness into our world. We must remember that we are made worthy by the fact that God is calling us. By entering into this cooperation with Christ we can hear the words of God the Father, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

These three Epiphanies give us hope and courage to live out our calling. Christ reveals himself to us so that we may become, like the Star in Bethlehem, a shining light in the darkness that leads to Christ. So that through the merciful Love of our God we can all say, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.”

Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB