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On this Feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord. We know the story of the Wise Men, coming to the Christ Child and presenting Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts are very specific and symbolize something of the nature of the Christ Child. The gold symbolizes that He is a king, frankincense that He is divine and the myrrh that He will suffer and die for us. The fact that the Magi are not Jews, but come from the East also proclaims that the Christ Child has come to save all people not just the Jewish people. He is the Savior of the world!
The Christ Child comes divine and yet in a human body and part of a human family. He is small, vulnerable, humble, frail and delicate. The Lord of all, the mighty of mighty Lords, makes Himself so vulnerable and so humble. Our Savior is not one who comes to overcome the battle of evil with weapons of war or violence, power and might. He comes to destroy evil through the power of love and goodness. This is not the way of humanity, but it is the way of God. As He will tell us, His ways are above and beyond our ways.
The most powerful force in all the world isn’t nuclear weapons or biological weapons, wealth, power or prestige! The most powerful force the world has ever known is the power of selfless, divine love! It is love that destroys all that is evil.
Think of the tremendous humility of God. He comes to us owning nothing, not even his humanity which he must ask his mother, through the Angel Gabriel, to give Him. God is a beggar asking a poor Jewish girl to give Him a human body. He is born in a borrowed stable and laid in a trough for feeding animals in a place called Bethlehem which means “house of bread.” He will write no books, nor hold any public office. His fame will spread among the poor and the sinners of the world because of his kindness, generosity and healing. His message of love of God and love of neighbor will be summarily rejected by the religious and political powerful forces which are threatened by his selfless love. When asked if they should pay the temple tax, he will prove that he carries no money and has to ask for a coin to be given him. Even the clothes on his body will be stripped away and taken by others. And when the evil forces of this world will destroy his human life, He will be laid in a borrowed tomb. Notice that the Savior of the world possessed no material riches and everything He had, He borrowed! Yet He will destroy all the evil and wickedness that is thrust upon Him, even death itself. He will rise from the dead, not for His sake, but for ours! In the power of His resurrection, we have the hope of our own resurrection from sin and death.
Today, we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord, with the hope God will grant all of us the grace to see Him manifested in our world today. For He promised to be with us always and never leave us to face our troubles alone. If we truly are people of faith, then we will know His presence in our midst, among us, and always with us. Following His example, may we be humble enough not to cling to anything that is material, but to cling to Him who is our Savior. How foolish humanity is to place its trust in power and riches, prestige, popularity, weapons of war and destruction. None of these things will save us. When will we ever learn? Our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone!
The wise men brought to the Christ Child—gold, frankincense and myrrh. Which said more about Him than about them. What is it that you and I will bring to our Savior this day? What is it, do you suppose, that He wants most from us? If we take Him seriously, then the answer is clear. What Jesus Christ desires most from you and me is to heed his command to follow Him. And we cannot follow Him unless we do what He did, namely, to do the will of his Father and detach ourselves from all that is material and attach our very being to Him who is our Savior.
God love you,
