Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The word ‘epiphany’ means to make known or to reveal. The Prophet Isaiah calls us to ‘Arise, shine out because our light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising in us’. Through the birth of Jesus, and today’s wonderful feast, we are the people on whom a great light has shone.
The shepherds left Jesus, Mary and Joseph, filled with the good news of this wondrous child. Just as the angels had proclaimed the good news to them, the shepherds in their turn shared their good news with others. In the same way, the Magi, after giving their gifts, also left the stable. They didn’t stay there either. We are only told that they didn’t back to Herod, but went home another way. We can only assume, that they too told everyone what they had seen and heard in that small stable in Bethlehem.
As we look upon the crib, we cannot stay there. Like the shepherds and the magi, we too are called to move away and take the light of Jesus with us. We are asked not only to admire the light, but to be people of light. The light of the Epiphany is given to us as a gift, but we cannot keep it to or for ourselves. Through the quality of our daily lives, and how we treat each other, we are called to make our families, homes, parish communities and the wider world a better and brighter place for all people, especially the poor and the marginalised.
May Christ the Light of Christ fill all our homes, families and our parish community, and may you all have a blessed and happy new year!