They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the manger they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:10-11
Epiphany, also called Little Christmas, Theophany, or simply Three Kings’ feast, is one of the oldest festival days in Christianity, celebrated 12 days after Christmas on the 6th of January. It comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, meaning revelation, appearance, or manifestation. People say they’ve had an epiphany when they realize something. The Epiphany marks the three wise men’s visit to Jesus and commemorates when Jesus was revealed or shown to the world as God’s son.
At the time of Jesus’ birth, it was commonly believed that a new star would appear whenever a new ruler was born. The Father in Heaven used this belief to honour His Son Who was born as the new King. The three Magi from the East were astrologers. When they saw this “new star,” they chose to follow it to discover the new King. Creation itself, in the form of a star, pointed the way, thus giving glory to the new born King, manifesting Him to the whole world as symbolized by the Magi.
As we know the word “Epiphany” means “manifestation.” Therefore, as we honour this moment in time when the Christ Child was made manifest to the world, we need to look into our own hearts. There, we discover Christ’s ongoing manifestation to us so that we can worship Him who has also chosen to be born within our hearts. We must diligently seek out that manifestation of God within us and respond to it in the same ways that the Magi responded.
First of all, the Magi were determined when they saw a sign from the heavens that pointed to a new King, they stopped everything and departed in haste to find Him. When God speaks to you and manifests Himself to you in some way, nothing could be more important than to be attentive to His voice and follow His manifestation with the same haste.
The Magi brought the Christ Child gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God was honoured and glorified through His creation by the giving of these gifts. God created gold to manifest His beauty and dignity. It was a gift that symbolized kingship. When we ponder the natural gift of gold given to the Christ Child, we are inspired to give Him our own gift of symbolic gold by prayerfully acknowledging Him as our own King to whom we pledge our complete submission.
Frankincense and myrrh are fruits of God’s creation made from the sap of trees found in India, north eastern Africa, and the Arabian peninsula,. They are used in worship to symbolize prayers rising to heaven, Frankincense symbolizes the Christ Child’s divinity. We offer Frankincense to Christ to acknowledge His divine nature, since He is God in the flesh. Myrrh often used in burial, honours the Christ Child Who came to give His life as a sacrifice for many. We offer myrrh to profess our belief in the saving power of Christ’s death on the Cross and our need for that gift of salvation.
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany, try to see it as a historical event in which you are invited to share. God wants to manifest Himself to you today. When this happens, you must respond with faith and worship, giving God the greatest glory by giving Him your very life and offering Him your spiritual gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
-Gladys Da Silva