Epiphany-Our Invitation from God

In the United States, we observed the Epiphany on Sunday.  However, today is the actual date the feast is celebrated.  So, this post is either right on time or a day late.

This year two things came to me as I reflected on the Feast of the Epiphany (not including how hard the word is to spell).

First-I don't think I ever really understood what the day meant, and how important it should be.  Today is the day that the 3 wise men (or kings, or magi-depending on the interpretation) arrived at the birth site of Jesus and gave him gifts fit for a King.  I never put the fact together how these were the first gentiles, non-Jews, to be lead to Jesus by a star and to worship the King of the Jews.  That's the Epiphany; the realization that Jesus is brought here to save all people Jews and gentiles.  Those 3 wise men represent all future Christians.  They are our forebearers in worshiping the Christ.

Second-The Gospel of the Sunday Mass was the story of the 3 wise men.  It is a story we probably are familiar with either through tradition or the "We Three Kings" song.  But until I listened to the homily (Thanks for a good one Father Marc) I never really focused on how little of the story was about the journey.  I would assume in the 1st century, travel in the middle east was not something to be taken lightly.  I would think that the 3 men had stories from their journey that could have filled pages about the difficulty of the travel or the people they met or dangers they faced.  But the Gospel doesn't mention it at all.  It focuses not on the journey, but the destination, their arrival at the new King to show him homage.

So, let us all Christians, celebrate the Epiphany as we should celebrate it.  As the day we received our invitation as gentiles into Christ's family by focusing not on our daily journey but on the star at the destination when, we too, will meet our Savior, Jesus Christ.