Epiphany 2019
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72
Ephesians 3:2-6
Matthew 2:1-12
“We have observed his
star at its rising and we have come to pay him homage.” (Matt 2:2)
Dear brothers and
sisters, we are gathered here to celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The Greek
word epiphanos means appearance or manifestation. It is used to show
Jesus’ first appearance to the gentiles. He had already been made known to the
Jews, born into the house of Israel, poor shepherds came to pay him homage and
now we celebrate that God has been made known to the gentiles. They brought him
gifts fit for a king because they knew he was a king and that he was worthy of
making such an arduous journey to pay him homage.
Isaiah prophesied
about the epiphany we celebrate today when we wrote, “Nations shall come to
your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Is 60:3). “They shall
bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim and praise the Lord.” (Is 60:6).
The gospel says they were “overwhelmed with joy.” The Psalm today likewise is
full of praise for this king.
But there is someone
else the gospel tells us about who would like to go pay him homage: that, of
course, is Herod. Scripture tell us that Herod was motivated by fear. Herod’s
assertion of homage, his motivation to pay homage, was really a self-serving
ploy to do his own will for his own self-protection.
How do we pay homage
to Jesus Christ?
To help us each answer
this question, let us first return to the word epiphany, or manifestation. What
was made known? God’s grace was made know. God’s unmerited love for all
humankind; everyone one of us. And is it not because we did something to merit
it, to deserve it, but simply because it is the will of God, a free gift from
God – grace.
God is love and love
desires the beloved. Love seeks out the beloved not through force or coercion
but through gentleness, patience and forgiveness. And oh am I grateful for
God’s patience and forgiveness…
The epiphany is about
God’s love being manifest in Jesus, for us, through the prophets, through
Scripture, through the Church, through the Sacraments…for us.
Saint Paul, or should I say, Saul, should know
a thing or two about grace because he hated the Church and participated in the
murderous rampage against the infant church.
This same Paul writes in
our second reading, “…God’s grace that was given me for you” (Eph 2:2).
Do you see that flow
of grace. God’s grace freely given to someone for someone else.
So, how do we pay
homage? Firstly, it’s about going to Jesus.
It about getting on
your knees before Jesus and receiving the beauty he has to offer.
“On entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him
homage” (Matt 2:11).
They entered the
house…
They saw the child…
…with Mary…
They knelt down…
They entered the
house…they were greeted by Rupert.
They saw the
child…sacramentally on the altar…
…with Mary…last week
Fr Nathanael referred to her as the Mother of the Eucharist.
They knelt down…
Herod’s motivations
were self-centred. He didn’t enter the house of the Lord, he tried to fortify
his own house.
Let us be honest with ourselves
as we go to pay homage to Jesus. Let us allow Jesus to satisfy our greatest
desires. He has everything we need. If there is anything holding us back, any
fear or self-centeredness, let us bring it to confession. Allow God’s forgiving
grace to wash over us.
Before we encounter
the real presence of the Lord today, body, blood soul and divinity through the
Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, we will kneel down and pay him homage as we are
given his very self, by grace, that has been given to us to share with someone
else.
Who is that someone
else? I don’t know but it could be anyone we meet…anyone…pray about it.
“We have come to pay
him homage.” Amen.
