EPIPHANY HOMILY YEAR A 2026
A UNIVERSAL MESSAGE
Mt 2.1-12 Is 60.1-6 Eph 3.2-3,5-6
Rhyme Bible Intro: “The Wise Men”
It was a very quiet day in Athens, Greece, on 6th January 1977, when 2 friends and I woke up, having arrived in the dark the night before from Patras, after a ferry from Brindisi. The streets were quiet, the shops were shut, and the signs were difficult to read, as it was all Greek to me, although I could make out some of the letters, from having studied Physics! At least we could walk up to the Acropolis and see the ruins of the Parthenon, thinking about ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, not that we remembered much about them.
Shakespeare wrote ‘Twelfth Night’, about “Love in all its forms – requited and unrequited, romantic and familial, expressed and repressed”. He was quite a psychologist!! “If music be the food of love, play on!”, says Duke Orsino, to open the play. The title related to the fun and games to be had on the feast of Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas.
For one thing, it allowed Christmas spirit to continue into the New Year, and also highlighted the universal nature of the Christmas message of peace and good will, as well as a call to faith in Jesus as Saviour, born for all.
Then the so-called wise men appear out of nowhere, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, symbolising recognition of kingship, divinity and suffering. So it was not altogether a pretty picture, as the joy of this birth is overshadowed by an uncertain future, implicitly involving rejection and suffering.
Many applications have been found for the 3 gifts, according to my little book, “The Gifts of the Magi”, which I was given some 25 years ago, along with samples, although I have to suspect the gold is fool’s gold, even though it says 24 karat on the bottle!! Real gold is incorruptible; it doesn’t tarnish or corrode. Frankincense was used by the Egyptians for bad breath and sore gums, the Greeks and Romans to heal wounds. Myrrh was medicinally thought to “cure everything from nappy rash to baldness (I haven’t tried it yet!), and internally for fevers, digestive problems and poisoning… in mouthwash, tooth (too late for me now!) and gum care”. Nevertheless, I’d still recommend the pharmacy for proper medication!
So much has been written, in poetry and literature, as well as depicted in art, throughout the ages, about this event portrayed here by Matthew, in simple terms, where the wise men go through a change of awareness and heart, through their encounter with Herod, and then Jesus and Mary, with Joseph in the background.
From Dermot Dorgan’s “The Fourth Wise Man” to TS Eliot’s “The Journey of the Magi”, we have amusing and interesting insights into the event. Even Australian author Barry Dickens wrote a story called “The Three Wise Blokes”, who go out on camels, searching for, and finding Baby Jesus in the Outback, but that’s a bit of a stretch too far!!
Says Dorgan: “Three Wise Men came to Bethlehem, following a star. Their names we’re told were Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar. One brought a gift of frankincense, the others myrrh and gold. They came to greet the newborn king, the Gospel story told… Next afternoon a man appeared outside the stable gate; he said he was the Fourth Wise Man and sorry he was late. ‘I’ve brought some things I thought you’d need – it’s just a little gift!’ A quick inspection of his bag gave Mary’s heart a lift. A frozen(?) casserole was there, and a stuffed and fluffy toy. Some baby clothes in pastel blue – he’d guessed it was a boy! ‘The thought of washing nappies’, Mary cried, ‘need not unnerve us; for here’s a 6-months voucher for a nappy washing service’… So don’t forget the Fourth Wise Man – the wisest of the lot. He brought the really useful gifts the other three forgot… !”
Then Eliot is much deeper, as he reflects on the challenges of the journey, and the transition to faith: “A cold journey we had of it, Just the worst time of the year. For a journey, and such a long journey, the ways deep and the weather sharp, the very dead of winter… And the night fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly… A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying, That this was all folly… All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again… Were we led all that way for Birth of Death? There was a Birth, certainly. We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different… We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death.” It is as if peace of mind was found, with new insights, through the harsh experiences of their journey to and fro.
There is the dark shadow of Herod’s underlying paranoia and deception, where Matthew has the Magi returning a different way, continuing their journey with new enlightenment, and joy, having encountered the child for whom they had searched, and finding a new faith in the one God, revealed through the birth of Jesus, born for all, whatever age or stage, culture or colour.
We could relate this story to our own journey of life and faith, as we progress in time into another year’s revolution around the Sun. It’s often not easy, with the ups and downs of life, but with a faith that guides us, and family and friends accompanying us along the way, as we accompany them. We realize it’s not a solo journey, although loneliness can kick in at times.
The Wise Men persevered on their journey and learned much on their way. No astrology or interpretation of star signs needed here in the end!
As Brendan Byrne SJ says: “We too walk in the footsteps of the wise men, sharing their longing, their faith and bringing our own gifts to the Lord.” And so we do! Happy New Year to all once again.
john hannon Epiphany 4th January 2025