WORSHIP JESUS!
Blessed Solemnity of the Epiphany. Hope you had a great Christmas Season so far & suitable opportunities to worship & adore Jesus.
Epiphany means “Manifestation”. On this holy day, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus Christ as Saviour to the world. We read of the Magi who hailed from the East who followed a star to seek, adore & worship the ‘infant king of the Jews’ & to offer valuable gifts to Him.
On this holy day, it would be good for us to recognise the glorious work of God in the Epiphany & see today’s celebration in the broader context of a “Theophany” – a physical manifestation of God. On this day, the Church sees a threefold manifestation of Jesus Christ in the Epiphany, His Baptism in the River Jordan & His first sign at the Wedding at Cana. I really love the stirring Magnificat Antiphon for today’s Vespers (Evening Prayer). Pray this with me:
“Three wonders mark this day we celebrate: today the star led the Magi to the manger; today water was changed into wine at the marriage feast; today Christ desired to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation, alleluia.”
I had written on Epiphany last year – please see below a quick link to it.
THEY WORSHIPPED HIM & OFFERED HIM GIFTS — Church of the Holy Family
So, who were the Magi, really? And how does this biblical account of the Epiphany relate to us?
The Magi were learned & intelligent men who were very skilled in science, mathematics. astrology, cosmology & religion. They were like the “Einsteins of the East” who sought knowledge & truth. When they saw the “Star of Bethlehem”, they knew they were on to the greatest discovery of their lives & set off to follow the star, at great risks & dangers of travel. They went to Herod as they assumed that the “infant king of the Jews” would be born in a palace. Imagine their surprise when Herod was caught blindsided by their visit, saw Herod’s who’s who of his religion scurrying & hustling to find answers from the scriptures & seeing their obvious lack of knowledge, interest & enthusiasm for this new-born king! Being wise & having good emotional intelligence, they could immediately tell (& smell) something was not right & so they politely ‘listened to what Herod had to say’ & moved on.
Thank God their faith & persistence paid off, for they caught sight of the star again & finally met the infant Jesus, where they adored Him & offered Him some unusual gifts. Why Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh? Well, Gold is for royalty, since Jesus is King. Frankincense is reserved by Divinity, for Christ is God. And Myrrh is a spice used for anointing the dead & burial rituals, portraying that Christ would suffer & die (as the Suffering Servant of God – see Isaiah 42, 49, 50 & 52/53).
Can we, starting this Epiphany, following the Magi, offer the Lord Jesus our adoration, worship & gifts? We present ‘the best of ourselves, to Jesus. Give Jesus the “Gold” of our lives – our talents, gifts, time, effort & resources. He is our King & most worthy of the offering of our very selves to Him. The “Frankincense” we offer to Jesus as God is our heartfelt prayer of praise, adoration & worship. And the “Myrrh” we have to offer to Christ are the daily crosses we bear in our lives – our trials. sufferings, pains, woundedness & illnesses, endured patiently for the love of Jesus.’ (from last year’s Blog Post)
We also witness a change & transformation of the Magi after their Christ-Encounter. Scripture says they “returned to their country by a different way” (cf Matthew 2:12). At the most basic level, they didn’t report back to Herod. But far more significant is that they were transformed from merely intelligent men called Magi who studied the stars, signs, astrology & external events & things to become truly Wise Men (emphasis added) endowed with the Spirit of Wisdom (cf Isaiah 11:2), seeking & worshipping God from their hearts & “in spirit & in truth” (cf John 4:24). We, too, should aspire to be wise, to seek Christ in sincerity & truth, humility & hope.
One final note – the Magi were pilgrims (tradition says they came from as far away as Africa & Asia). We, too, in this Jubilee Year 2025 are also on a pilgrimage – with the theme of Pilgrims of Hope. Let’s continue moving forward as a parish community with hope, so we can truly experience His abundant love, mercy & forgiveness.
Here's a beautiful Praise & Worship song “We All Bow Down” to end this reflection.
https://youtu.be/4u4iZE8S61g?si=ROzn59fvxd0O0tTd
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead