The liturgy of the Sunday of the Solemnity of the Epiphany teaches us that the birth of the Child Jesus is an act of redemption for all humanity. The Child Jesus, with the adoration of the Magi, symbolises his manifestation to all peoples. Jesus was born for all humanity. He is the Light that illumines the paths of humanity towards salvation. He proclaims the good news that Christianity teaches us, that is: the act of the liberation of Man from sin into life through the manifestation of the Lord Jesus, who became Man without abandoning his divinity, to give abundant life to the human being.
The Solemnity of the Epiphany is: the passage from darkness to Light; the victory of life over death and of good over evil. It is the manifestation of Love against hatred for all peoples. The liturgy with the Magi teaches us that Jesus, the Anointed of the Father, became incarnate to redeem all humanity.
The first reading, taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 60:1–6, announces to us the coming of the Light of Salvation for Jerusalem. Isaiah’s prophecy is situated in the period of exile and announces a moment of liberation after captivity in Babylon. Isaiah says: “Arise, shine, Jerusalem, for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” It is a moment in which all peoples are drawn towards liberation.
The first reading is the prefiguration of Jesus Christ, who is the Light that comes to lead Man out of darkness into the life of grace. It invites us to open our hearts to welcome this Light that comes to set us free. We need to disarm our hearts to welcome this Light of peace which, in the words of Pope Leo XIV, Jesus is this “disarmed and disarming Peace.” Are we ready to welcome Jesus who humbled himself to redeem us? Are we willing to be part of the people who will adore the Lord with humility? [Psalm 71 (72)].
The second reading is taken from the Letter to the Ephesians 3:2–3a, 5–6. It teaches us that the project of redemption through the Incarnation is for all humanity. Paul insists that salvation is for all: Jews and Gentiles, that is, for all humanity.
The Gospel is from Saint Matthew 2:1–12 and teaches us to be humble in order to be redeemed. The Magi who come to adore the Child Jesus symbolise all the peoples of the world. And paradoxically, Herod, who seeks to kill him, signifies that Jesus was born for all peoples, not only for the Jews, who even reject him. The three Magi are guided by the star. This symbolism teaches us to know how to interpret the signs that call us to salvation at every moment of our lives.
In today’s world, marked by selfishness and indifference, we run the risk of not recognising the signs of the times that God sends us to enlighten us for our salvation. Therefore, the Epiphany is the solemnity of the manifestation of Jesus as the Light that illumines our paths during our pilgrimage on this earth, so that we may avoid the ways of darkness. And this Light illumines the roads of all men without distinction. The only thing asked of Man is to disarm the heart to welcome this disarmed and disarming Light that manifests itself in the Child born in Bethlehem. The Word made flesh!