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Dear Preachers:
Our reading from Isaiah today is especially well suited to the feast of the Epiphany. It begins with a summons addressed to all of us: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come.” For people living in darkness—a darkness that shadows so many lives through confusion and misinformation, injustice and inequality, loneliness, isolation, and personal suffering—the prophet’s clarion call holds out hope for light despite the surrounding shadows.
Epiphany does not deny these shadows; rather, it proclaims that Christ has entered them. The light was revealed to the Magi and is revealed to us. This light shines amid modern forms of darkness, and believers are called not only to receive that light for themselves but also to reflect true justice, compassion, and faithful witness, so that those living in the shadow of death may find their way toward hope.
Isaiah’s vision of nations walking by Jerusalem’s light and being drawn to its radiance finds a concrete fulfillment in the story of the Magi. The wise men represent the Gentile world, guided by a star to Jesus. What Isaiah envisioned symbolically—people streaming toward God’s light—Epiphany reveals both historically and personally.
Isaiah anticipates foreigners from Midian and Ephah, “all from Sheba,” coming and bearing “gold and frankincense.” These gifts, later offered by the Magi, indicate that the child is king and worthy of worship, especially through the gift of frankincense. Together, they signal a time when the wealth and homage of the nations will be offered to the Lord—not as political tribute, but as an act of faith and praise.
Isaiah presents a God who is not confined to one people, place, or nation. In Christ, the light rises for everyone, and all are invited to walk in it and be guided by it. Alongside the material darkness of the world, there is also spiritual darkness. Many today live without a sense of meaning or purpose, or with only a limited awareness of God’s presence in their lives. They feel distant from God. This is the “thick cloud” Isaiah describes.
We possess electricity and powerful forms of artificial light, yet inner darkness—the “thick cloud”—cannot be dispelled simply by flipping a switch. Inner darkness is far more difficult to overcome than external shadows.
In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul reflects on what he calls a “mystery” now revealed by God. In Scripture, a mystery is not a puzzle to be solved, but a divine plan once hidden and now made known. Epiphany, then, is the feast of a mystery unveiled by God. Paul declares that what was “not made known to people in other generations” has now been revealed through the Spirit: the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Epiphany celebrates this radical inclusion as a work of sheer grace—and it also challenges the Church today.
If God’s mystery is about breaking down barriers, then any form of exclusion, superiority, or indifference contradicts the very meaning of Epiphany. The light revealed in Christ is meant to gather, not divide; to unite, not rank. On this feast, the Church’s mission—our mission—is to welcome the stranger, honor difference, and witness to a unity rooted not in sameness, but in Christ.
Moreover, the Church must be genuinely missionary, not merely maintenance-oriented. Epiphany reminds us that God’s saving action moves outward, like the star that led the Magi beyond familiar borders. The gospel is not meant to be clutched and preserved for insiders. The Church must practice radical hospitality and refuse to mirror the world’s divisions. We are called to witness to Christ in unexpected places.
The Magi found Christ in an unexpected place. Likewise, as a Church, we must seek and discover Christ among the marginalized, the forgotten, the wounded, and those living on the edges of society.
Today we are assured that the light has already risen and cannot be extinguished. We did not create the light; we already stand within it. Like the star, we point toward it by the lives we lead. Epiphany thus shapes the Church into a people always being sent—bearing light, welcoming the nations, and trusting that God is still drawing the world toward Christ.
“Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, human in God, God in human— the one whom the whole universe cannot contain is held in a tiny body.”
— Sermon for the Epiphany, Pope Leo the Great, 5th Century
Where is the newborn king of the Jews? —Matthew 2:2
Have you ever had an epiphany? A sudden realization? A flash of recognition in which someone or something is seen in a new light? I just realized that epiphanies often begin with a question. On this day when we commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the three magi, we see that it all began with a question.
Look at these other epiphanies. The first is from Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in his book, The Gift of Peace . He found himself wondering how Jesus kept his ministry on track with “all the ‘mess’ of the world that intruded into his life and ministry.” He writes, “Then one day it struck me that when Jesus opened his arms to embrace a little child and when he opened his arms wide on the cross to embrace the whole world, it was one and the same. He came to bring the Father’s healing, saving love to the human family—one person at a time. . .So, the people he encountered were never interruptions. . .they were opportunities to carry out his mission. . .Serving others was at the very core of the meaning of his life and ministry.” Epiphany.
St. Catherine of Siena posed a question to her ponderings on the dignity of the human person. She asks, “Why did you so dignify us?” And, in the next sentence, she writes, “With unimaginable love you looked upon your creatures within your very self, and you fell in love with us. . .and give us being just so that we might taste your supreme eternal good.” Epiphany.
St. John Paul II repeated his epiphany three times as he pondered Jesus identifying himself with the poor in Mt 25: 31-46. He spoke these words in Mexico (1979), in New York (1979) and in the Philippines (1981), “In the faces of the poor I see the face of Christ. In the life of the poor I see reflected the life of Christ. . .Jesus said that in the final analysis he will identify himself with the disinherited—the sick, the imprisoned, the hungry, the lonely. . .Keep Jesus Christ in your hearts and you will recognize his face in every human being. You will want to help him out in all his needs: the needs of your brothers and sisters.” Epiphany.
If you have never had an epiphany in your faith journey, maybe you haven’t asked a question. Ask, see, and act. Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC
Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home. From today’s Gospel reading:
“Behold, the star that they had seen a its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.”
Reflection: Pope Francis challenged us to follow the star that leads us where Christ lives – among outsiders, those born in stables, living on the streets, fleeing civil strife and pushed around by harsh governments.
So, we ask ourselves: · We have experienced the good news of Christ firsthand at our Epiphany celebration today. So, how will we reflect in our daily lives the light that has shone upon us? · Do we see the poor and outcast by the light of Christ?
POSTCARDS TO DEATH-ROW INMATES
“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.” ---Pope Francis
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to: · Mario McNeil #0788387 (On death row since 5/29/2013) · Jonathan Richardson #1019632 (4/4/2014) · Antwan Anthony #1293151 (4/6/2016) ---Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd., Raleigh, NC 27606
For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org
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