HOMILY OF 1ST SUNDAY OF NEW YEAR (EPIPHANY OF THE LORD)

HOMILY OF 1ST SUNDAY OF NEW YEAR (EPIPHANY OF THE LORD) — YEAR C

HOMILY THEME: THE REVELATION OF CHRIST TO THE NATIONS

BY: Fr Peter Gabriel Okon

Isaiah 60:1-6/ Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6/ Matthew 2:1-12

Today, few days after the birth of Christ, we celebrate the Epiphany, also called the feast of the Magi, the revelation of Christ to the nations. From its Greek etymology, epiphany means “to manifest” or “make known”. In this sense refers to the manifestation or revelation of the identity and mission of Christ to the world. And so the readings today largely tune our minds to reflect on God’s self revelation to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.

A key highlight of today’s feast amongst other things is the gifts of the magi – Myrrh, Frankincense and Gold, presented to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:11-12). These gifts have deep meanings and symbolisms that could guide us in understanding better what we celebrate today. Let’s turn to the symbolisms of these gifts.

i) Myrrh – Myrrh in ancient times was largely used to prepare the dead for burial. This was the case even for Jesus, where the women brought myrrh to his tomb, intending to use it on his corpse (Luke 24:1). Myrrh speaks to us of Jesus’ human vulnerability. Like us, He experienced the whole range of human emotions; joy, sorrow, fear, frustration, loneliness. He was like us in everything but sin.
ii)Frankincense – Used for religious worship by ancients and in our time as well. The aroma and the smoke spiralling upward to heaven, reflects our relationship with the divine. The gift therefore is symbolic of the divinity of Jesus, (cf Philippians 2:6-11).
iii) Gold – This is mostly regarded and treated as the king of metals. It was therefore an ideal gift for a king, thus representing the Kingship of Christ.

Dearly beloved, just as Christmas revealed Christ to the Jews, Epiphany reveals Jesus to the Gentiles, and by extension all nations of the earth. It is therefore the feast of the nations. What was begun by Christ in His time must be continued by us in our time. If Jesus is to be made known to all nations in perpetuity, we have our role to play. It is our responsibility to bring to the nations of the world the Goodnews, that Jesus the son of God took flesh and lived among us, to save us from sin and death. He came not just for the Jews, but for all of us, that we might have life in abundance.

The way to achieve our witnessing is to follow the example of the wise men; who allowed themselves to be led by the stars, to the true Light of the world, Jesus Christ. They refused to be distracted or deceived by the gimmicks of Herod. Equally, in our own way to CHRIST, the True Light of the world, the Light that enlightens all men, we will meet several “Herods” who will always want to destroy the truth, to truncate the mission and reign of God, to distract us from meeting with the saviour of the world, mostly coming as wolves in sheep clothing.

Thus, we have to be as wise as the serpent and gentle as the dove in advancing towards “the Light” in order to maintain our focus on the sparks given us by the Faith of the Church, to guide us ultimately to Christ Himself, the Head of the Church and Light to the Gentiles.

The Magi brought their gifts of Myrrh, frankincense and gold to Christ, according to their perception of the identity and mission of Christ. However, in our time, Jesus needs the gift of ourselves, to become like Him; becoming His hands and feet reaching out to those He Himself can not now reach out to physically. Jesus needs us to bring His Goodnews to the poor, to set free those who are oppressed, to rekindle the light of hope on the despaired, bringing to fulfillment in our time His mission statement in Luke 4: 18-19. By this, we will continue to reveal Christ to the nations of the world.

Let us pray against every Herodic tendencies and spirits in our lives too. Let us be open to celebrate the achievements and blessings of others, unlike Herod, who felt threatened by the Rising Sun, the New born King. The herodic spirit is self-destructive and anti-Christ by all understanding. To be a true witness to Christ, we must conquer the Herod in us, so that we may not set ourselves against Christ, whom we should serve.

May the Rising Sun, the Saviour of the world shine His Light upon us to enlighten our hearts and minds and make us radiances of His glory through Christ our Lord Amen.

Wishing you a happy Sunday and new year, 2025.

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