Happy Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord!

A happy and most glorious feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord! Today we celebrate the arrival of the three wise men, who traveled from the East to pay homage to the King of Kings. They followed His star to the place where He lay, and opening their treasures, offered Him gifts of gold, symbolizing his Kingship, frankincense, His Divinity, and myrrh, the death that He would die for our sins. The coming of the Magi reminds us of the conversion of the Gentiles and the universality of the reign of Christ, Who came first to the people of Israel and then to all nations and peoples.

The Scriptures tell us that, though the wise men were told by Herod to inform him where the Christ Child was, they were warned in a dream not to return to him and went back to their own country by another way. Not only did they physically return by another way, but spiritually also: they came as pagans, but returned as Christians.

Tunc vidébis, et áfflues, mirábitur et dilatábitur cor tuum, quando convérsa fúerit ad te multitúdo maris, fortitúdo géntium vénient tibi. Inundátio camelórum opériet te, dromedárii Mádian et Epha: omnes de Saba vénient, aurum et thus deferéntes, et laudem Dómino annuntiántes.

Then shalt thou see and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and showing forth praise to the Lord.

– Isaiah 60:5-6, from the Lesson for today