At the time of Christ’s birth, there were only three continents known to exist among those who lived in the Mediterranean world; these were Africa, Asia and Europe. The early Church tradition regarded the three Wise Men as coming one from each of these continents. They represented the people from all over the known world at that time coming to acknowledge Christ as King and Saviour. The word “Epiphany,” which is the name of the Solemnity which we celebrate this Sunday, means “manifestation” and it refers to the manifestation of God’s love for all people in the birth of Christ.
For years the Jewish people had regarded themselves as the chosen people. If an individual wanted to know God, it was believed that they had to be born as a member of the chosen people, or at least go to great lengths to become a member of the chosen people. There can still be tendencies in every religion to believe that salvation is only for a certain group of people. The Solemnity that we celebrate today is intended to remind us that God’s salvation is for all people willing to accept and believe in Jesus as their Saviour.
The fact that salvation is for all people ought to remind us that God never gives up on any of us. He is constantly inviting us to turn to him and know his love for us. Most of us know people whom we might think of as lost causes; however, for God there are no lost causes. This may be something about which we can remind the people whom we know who may have given up on themselves. God loves all people, always.
Yet this feast also reminds us of what is asked of us once we have come to acknowledge God as our Saviour. We are called to give God thanks for the salvation that he has offered us through his Son by offering him gifts like the Wise Men. Yet, once again, the beauty of this great feast is the nature of the gifts that God asks of us. He does not desire from us gold, frankincense and myrrh. He desires only our hearts. All we are required to offer God is our hearts—our whole hearts.
What God desires to save about us is our entire being. We often think that God only cares about that part of us which is good. This is not true. Just as Jesus came to save all people, he also came to redeem every part of our being—the good and the bad. Most of us might be very happy to offer God the best parts of ourselves; our virtues, talents and good qualities. But he is interested in taking our anger, jealousy, hatred and pride. Often the only way that we can deal with them is actually to give them to God for healing. Our tendency may be to hide this part of ourselves from others and God. But the truth of the matter is that sometimes the only way in which we can find healing in these areas of our lives is to give them to God. These are the gifts we can offer him on this Solemnity of the Epiphany in order that his love may be made manifest in these areas of our lives.
Many people make resolutions at the beginning of the New Year to give up certain things or improve in others. It can sometimes be so hard to keep these resolutions. However, if we give them to God and ask for his Grace, often he can accomplish things which we cannot do on our own. Perhaps the gifts that we can offer God on this Solemnity are the resolutions that we have made. As we offer them to him, we need to be aware that God loves us whether we are successful in these resolutions or not. He has come to save all of us and wishes to redeem every part of us. As we acknowledge him as king over every part of our lives—the good and the bad—we give him the freedom and authority to manifest his saving presence in our lives. As we celebrate this Solemnity of the Lord’s manifestation, let us pray that he may manifest his saving love for all of us in every part of our lives.
I pray that 2017 will be a year filled with the manifestation of God’s love for all of the parishioners of our parish, their friends and loved ones. Please pray for me that I may know this same love in my own life.
Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor- St. Peter’s Parish- Toronto
