The Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we have just celebrated, stressed the identity of Jesus Christ: true God and true man, Son of God made flesh. Today’s Feast, the Epiphany of the Lord, celebrates the manifestation of God in Jesus Christ as the Light that illumines and gives life to all nations. Rightly did the Vatican II Council Fathers call Jesus Christ “Lumen Gentium,” the “Light of the nations.”
In the Nicene Creed, we profess that Jesus Christ is “God from God, Light from Light.” Today we celebrate the fact that through the Birth of Jesus Christ, God the true Light now shines on all nations, on every one of us, to dispel the darkness of our lives and to bring us life. What God says to Jerusalem through the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading applies to all nations, cities, and peoples of the world: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, / the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” We can put our own name in the place of Jerusalem and hear God tell us to rise up in splendor and turn to Christ our Light who now shines upon every one of us. Given that the Light of Christ shines on all people, we can understand what St. Paul means in today’s second reading; “the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same Body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
The Magi in today’s Gospel, like us, hear the invitation to rise in splendor and turn to the glory of God that shines upon us in the newborn Jesus Christ, God-man and King of the universe. Their disposition and their actions are what every Christian of every era and every nation should imitate. Having heard the Word of God spoken to them, they set out, following the star, the guiding light of Christ, saying: “we saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” This is clearly the attitude of those who know that they are loved by God. They strive to encounter the God of Love whose initiative it is to come to us in the first place.
Following the star, the Magi arrive at the place where the Child Jesus is, and they are filled with joy. The presence of Jesus brings joy and peace, signs of the salvation that he brings. It is important to remark what the Magi did before the Child Jesus: “they prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Their example shows us that our call is to worship God and do him homage. Our first duty of religion is to worship God. Nothing has priority over this. This is the rule that St. Benedict left to his followers and should also be a defining standard for every Christian.
The worship that we owe to God involves also making an offering to him. The Magi offered him gold, a symbol of his kingship; frankincense, representing his priesthood; and myrrh, his Sacred Passion. The greatest gift that we can offer to our Lord is the gift of ourselves. St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship” (Rm 12:1). Offering ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God means that we strive for a life of holiness, acknowledging our need of salvation from God. It means a continuous labor of love for the glory of God and for the good and salvation of our neighbors. We know that we are like St. Paul who writes in his Letter to the Ephesians, “You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit….”
In different ways, the stewardship of God’s grace has been given to each one of us for the benefit of others, the members of Christ’s Body, the Church. To discover this and to serve God properly, we need to rise and turn to Christ our Light, whose glory shines upon us and who guides us on our way. Let us join the procession of the Magi and all the Saints in the journey to the Lord who meets us. The glory of Christ shines most resplendently in the Holy Eucharist, where he waits for us and continues to reveal himself to us. Christ Jesus, in revealing himself to us, also reveals to us who we are and what our mission should be.
We can best exercise the stewardship of God’s grace, given to us for the benefit of others, by living like the Saints, who are truly God’s “stars,” through whom his light shines to illumine the night of this world. Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Our lives should be a kind of lighthouse, like Isaiah’s depiction of Jerusalem, or like a star, illuminating this world – our families, parishes, and communities – and leading others to Christ, who is the real Light of the world.
When have I experienced the true Light shine in my life and dispel the darkness? How do I express my duty of religion to worship God? What difficulties do I face as I strive to live a life of holiness and service?
Excerpt from The Anawim Way, Volume 21, no. 1. More information about The Anawim Way may be found here.