HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD YEAR A.

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2. 7-8. 10-13. R/v.11; Ephesians 3:2-3. 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12.

“SECOND CHRISTMAS”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      Once again Happy Christmas/ new year to you all!

·      We thank the Lord for granting journey mercy to all who travelled, and we pray that he may grant success to the works of our hands this year and beyond through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·      Dearly beloved in Christ, I am sure many of you will be wondering if I am ok when I wished you all “Happy Christmas” almost two weeks after the Christmas day celebration. 

·      Well, I still have my mind intact, because today, we celebrate the solemnity of Epiphany which is traditionally known as the “Christmas day” for the gentiles and Catholics from the Eastern Bloc. Of course, we know that the church in Nigeria belongs to Western rite since the Catholic church comprises of a bigger bloc known as the Western and Eastern rites of the church.

·      A story is told of a man who died, and at heaven’s gate, St. Peter asks him, “What is your religion?” The man said, “Baptist.” St. Peter runs through his book, and said, “You have a room on the fourth floor, but be very quiet as you pass by the ground floor.” Another man arrived. St. Peter asked the same question: “Religion?” “Jewish.” He answered. “Well, your room is on the third floor, but be very quiet as you pass by the ground floor”. A third man arrived at the gates. “Religion?” “Lutheran.” “Go to the fifth floor but be very quiet as you pass by the ground floor.” The man said, “I can understand that there are different floors for different religions, but why must I keep quiet when I pass by the ground floor?” St. Peter explained, “Well, the Catholics are on the ground floor, and they think heaven belong to them alone.”

·      One real danger for us Catholics is to become exclusive in our view of religion. This attitude comes from the belief that we have the true faith, we are the chosen race, a royal priesthood. The early Christians must have taken this belief from the Jews, for most of them were converts from Judaism. 

·      The Jews were the Chosen People of God, so they naturally feel better than any race that does not belong to the family of Abraham. Many Christians had a similar attitude until now, forgetting the fact that faith is a gift from God, something they have not merited.

·      Today the church celebrates the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany is from the Hebrew word “Epiphaneia” which means “manifestation, revelation, public show” of Jesus to the gentiles and indeed to the whole world.

·      The solemnity of Epiphany gives us believers the hope that Jesus the new born king is not the exclusive privilege of a few nor the saviour of just the Jews but the Lord and master of all and the saviour of the whole human race.

·      In the first reading (Isaiah 60:1-6), we see that once we allow the light of Christ to permeate and illumine our hearts, that light must shine forth even more than the light that led the wise men to the manger. We must become that light leading people back to God and to salvation.

·      The Psalmist teaches that “All nations shall fall prostrate before you O Lord” (Ps. 72:11), It simply means that the ultimate homage belongs to God, the wise men who were kings in their own rites knew this and gave the infant king his due honour and homage. In this, we learn that if we give God’s due homage, men and women will honour us. If we constantly go on our knees and fall prostrate before God, then we can stand tall before earthly kings and queens.

·      Herod refused to recognise the Kingship of Jesus, he refused to give God his due honour and homage, hence he lost the homage of the people. Herod lost the respect of the wise men therefore, they refused to return to him as instructed. Having met the true king of the whole world, they were satisfied. 

·      Since Epiphany is known as “Christmas day” for the gentiles or those who were referred to as pagans by the Israelites, the second reading (Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6), tells us that “This mystery that has now been revealed (Epiphany) through the Spirit to his Holy Apostles and prophets which was unknown to any men in the past generations. It means that pagans (Gentiles) now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel” (Eph. 3:5-6).

·      My dear friends in Christ, we Christians who were formerly referred to as pagans and gentiles through the Epiphany of the infant king can now boost of some share in the salvation promised by God through his son.

·      The Gospel reading (Matthew 2:1-12), gives us an account of the visit of wise men from the East, those who were referred to as unbelievers and outside the realm of salvation. The visit of the wise men to Jesus gave our Christianity an all-embracing perspective and a missionary outlook. Hence as an Ibo person, Hausa, Yoruba, Urhobo, Efik, Esan etc. we all have a share in the salvation brought by the infant king.

·      The birth of the infant and the visit of the wise men with their presentation of gifts is future-looking because the birth of Jesus at Christmas was to secure and guarantee Easter. God became man through his son for the salvation of man through his son. 

·      This is seen in the various gifts of the wise men to Jesus which is also a fulfilment of the Prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Is. 60:6). Gold symbolised the eternal kingship of Jesus, Frankincense represents the High priestly ministry of Jesus as the offering and offerer, Myrrh symbolises his redemptive suffering and death.   

·      The wise men having encountered Christ the shining light, his light purified and illumined them and empowered them to become lights to the gentiles and indeed to all nations. This encounter brought them a new way of life as symbolised by the decision to go home through another route. We too dearly beloved, we cannot encounter Christ and go back to sin and wickedness and evil conspiracy with the various Herods of our life. Having encountered him today and become his shining light, we must discover another route that leads to true peace, unity, and ultimately salvation.

·      To become shining lights for others to follow requires a great deal of sacrifice, discipline, and humility. The wise men did not look on their kingship but on the mission of Christ as the saviour of the world and their mission as the forerunners of the message of salvation to the Gentiles.

·      We see in their visit that any kingdom that is not established on God or does not acknowledge the supremacy of God is bound to collapse. The refusal of Herod to acknowledge the authority of the infant king was the beginning of the end of his reign. Hence if our earthly kingdoms must last, they must be built on God and consistently acknowledge the supremacy of God.

·      As Christians, we are challenged to show Christ to the world. This we do by following the will of God, obeying the truths of His teachings, and doing abundant good works for others. May the Lord help us with His grace to fulfil our New Year’s resolutions to become better persons and may we all become shining stars that will lead and guide other people to Jesus, Amen!

·       Happy Sunday!!!