The Feast of the Ephiphany

 

“…behold,magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where isthe newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at itsrising and have come to do him homage.’” Matthew 2:1-2

On January 6^th, the Church commemorates the Feast of Epiphany, which commemorates the Manifestation of Christ to the gentiles, as represented by the Magi from the East. The magi traveled a great distance in order to find the new born King of the Jews. They were following a call from God, prompted by the Star that would lead them to the Christ Child. They were in search of deeper meaning in their lives and felt compelled to travel a great distance to answer God’s call.

Pope Benedict wrote of the Magi, “Deep within themselves they felt prompted to go in search of the true justice that can only come from God, and they wanted to serve this King, to fall prostrate at his feet and so play their part in the renewal of the world.”

We are called to find true justice that can only come from being a follower of Christ. Pope Benedict would go on to say, “They had to learn to give themselves – no lesser gift would be sufficient for this King. They had to learn that their lives must be conformed to this divine way of exercising power, to God’s own way of being.”

Are we willing to give our lives as a gift to God, to be willing to serve God in serving others? Benedict asks the question, “How can I serve God’s presence in the world?” We are called by God to serve Him by loving Him with our whole mind and by loving and serving those he has put into our lives. By doing so, Christ will be manifested to those in our lives as he was once manifested to the Magi. By serving others in the name of Christ, we can bring renewal to the world.