All Shall Honor Him

3 Jan

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.  (Ps 72:10-11)

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.  There are several definitions of the word “epiphany”.  Some of them refer to the sudden manifestation of a deity, such as Jesus manifesting Himself to the world through its representatives, the Magi.

The definition that I like to consider in regard to this feast comes from our friends at Merriam-Webster dictionary:  “a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way.”

Think about it.  The Epiphany of the Lord is a moment in which we suddenly understand that our God will go to great lengths, to incredible lengths, to unbelievable lengths to let us know that He loves us.

Specifically, He set aside His regal splendor and became one of us.  St. John likes to tell it thus: “And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.”

The manifestation of Jesus Christ through the world’s representatives is a great feast because it reminds us, as Jesus would say later when He was grown up, that the Kingdom belongs to everyone.  No one, not a single race or creed, has exclusive rights to God’s Kingdom.

All of us, each and every person, is entitled to claim Jesus as King and Lord and has the opportunity to live with Him for all eternity.  Whether we do so or not depends upon our response to God’s invitation.

There are too many people out there who think that they have exclusive rights to God’s Kingdom.  There are too many people who harm others in the name of God.  Today’s feast should speak loudly to them that God loves all of His people and was willing to place Himself into our care.  He was born as a fragile infant and trusted that He would come to no harm.

We believe that God dwells in all of His people.  Let us do our best to ensure that no one comes to harm but that everyone has the chance to flourish to their fullest potential.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for peace among all people in the world.