A Homily – The Epiphany, A Holy Day
of Obligation (Year A)
First Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2,
7-8, 10-13 ©
Second Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6
©
Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 2:2
The Gospel According to Matthew 2:1 -
12 ©
(NJB)
Listen!
The
prophet speaks metaphorically; this is a projection from the school of Isaiah regarding
its understanding that the God of the Hebrew people is the God of all people, the
one and only God, the creator of the universe, that God is the God over
everyone.
It
is an expression of the hope that at the end of time all people will be united,
not just metaphorically but in actuality, that there will be no divisions among
us: no war, no enmity, that everyone will have been brought together by God to share
in a common destiny.
This
is not an expectation of hope for this world. Isaiah understands that God will
not effect these changes in the lives of the people today, the prophet is
looking to the eschaton…to the end of time.
Know
this:
God
does not intervene in the affairs of human beings, God does not appoint rulers
and kings.
God
will not rescue you from the troubles of this world, because God has made you,
and everyone, the whole of creation absolutely free.
God
will not intervene, do not petition God as if God were a king.
Consider
the words of the apostle who puts forward a lovely sentiment, expressing faith
in God’s love and mercy, even though he fundamentally misunderstands the
relationship between God and humanity.
Listen!
We
are as God created us; God loves us according to God’s nature, not ours…unless
you were to say that it is in our nature to be loved by God.
Remember!
God
is the author of life and we were created to share in the life of God, remember
that God is with us, that God is grace and grace is best expressed through love…and
hope…and faith which means trust.
Consider
the Gospel reading for today; there is a great deal to unpack in the story of
the Magi. Though before we begin let us note that in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is
visited by three shepherds, not three Magi, who are also commonly referred to
as kings. Note also that in Mark’s Gospel, the 1st to be compiled,
there is no reference to these events at all, and John’s Gospel makes no
mention of them either.
Apologists
for the Gospel tradition claim that Luke and Matthew were relating separate
events, and they encourage us not to conflate them. Let us proceed with the
understanding that no such events actually took place, what we have in both Gospels
is a work of narrative fiction, they are myths, as such they are packed with hidden
meaning.
Matthew’s
Gospel tells us that three wise men, Magi (who are priests of the Persian Zoroaster,
visit the Holy family to pay Jesus homage; they present him with gifts of gold
and other offerings befitting a royal person: treasures of gold, frankincense
and myrrh.
This
is real wealth, enough to set Mary and Joseph up for life. If we accept this
story as fact, we should not also hold to the notion that Jesus was the son of
a humble carpenter.
Nevertheless,
the image is intended to do two things: to establish that Jesus is a royal
person, the heir to David’s throne; just as Herod feared, Jesus is a contender.
The
popular interpretation of this reading is to view the Magi themselves as not
just wise men, but as kings in their own right, putting their encounter with
Jesus on the level of a diplomatic mission, they are of the same class, and
they present gifts of the type that the laws of hospitality would demand royal
powers share with one another.
The
reading only builds on the foundation of Jesus’ kingship, which the writers of
Matthew begin in the presentation of Jesus’ genealogy, it connects him to the astronomers
and priestly class of the Persian Empire, to the temples of the aforementioned Zoroaster,
who represent the principle devotees of the Cult of Mithras, to which Pharisaic
Judaism owes a significant theological debt. Pharisaic Judaism is the Judaism
of the diaspora, otherwise known as Rabbinical Judaism, the sect of Judaism to
which Jesus and the disciples belonged, to which Paul of Taursus belonged.
The
myth is intended to convey these points and these points only: that Jesus is
the heir to David and that he is intimately connected to mysteries of the
Persian tradition. The same Persian tradition that was practiced by the emperor
Cyrus when he released the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, allowing them
to return to Judea and rebuild their temple.
The
Herodian intrigue in this narrative is of secondary importance. It complements
the message concerning Jesus’ identity and sets up the Herodian dynasty as a
group of villains that the disciples, along with John the Baptist and Jesus
will have to contend with throughout their lives. The drama with Herod at
Jesus’ birth topologically connects the birth of Jesus to the birth of Moses,
and while these are important cues, they are not nearly as important as the Persian
theme.
First
Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6 ©
Above
You the Glory of the Lord Appears
Arise,
shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising
on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples.
Above
you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears.
The
nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift
up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your
sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried.
At
this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the
riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you; camels
in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in
Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.
Responsorial
Psalm – Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13 ©
All
nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
O
God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that
he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
All
nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
In
his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He
shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
All
nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
The
kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The
kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before
him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
All
nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
For
he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He
will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
All
nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
Second
Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6 ©
It
Has Now Been Revealed that Pagans Share the Same Inheritance
You
have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant
for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the
mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy
apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that
pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body,
and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.
Gospel
Acclamation – Matthew 2:2
Alleluia,
alleluia!
We
saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage.
Alleluia!
The
Gospel According to Matthew 2:1-12 ©
The
Visit of the Magi
After
Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some
wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the
Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’
When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem.
He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and
enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’
they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the
leaders of Judah, for
out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then
Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date
on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out
all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so
that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to
say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen
rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The
sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw
the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense
and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and
returned to their own country by a different way.
A Homily – The Epiphany, A Holy Day
of Obligation (Year A)
