Christ is shown forth as King
MASS Ecce, advénit
LESSON Isaias 60: 1-6
GOSPEL St Matthew 2: 1-2
HOMILIST Mt Revd Jerome Lloyd OSJV
Beloved in Christ,
“Behold the Lord the Ruler is come: and the Kingdom is in His hand.” With these words the Church does not merely recall an event; she issues a proclamation. Epiphany is not a gentle extension of Christmas sentiment, but a revelation that judges the world. The Child once hidden in the night of Bethlehem now stands manifested before the nations. What was promised to Israel is laid before all peoples. Christ is shown forth as King.
At Christmas the shepherds were summoned—men of Israel, poor and watchful, heirs of the covenant. They represent the chosen people, long prepared by promise and prophecy. At Epiphany the Magi arrive—Gentiles, scholars, rulers from the East—bearing the nations with them. Christ is revealed not for one tribe, not for one culture, but for the whole world. As the angels proclaimed, “Peace to men of good will.” The Old Covenant is opened, not discarded; the New Covenant is sealed in Emmanuel—God with us.
The Prophet Isaias saw this day from afar: “Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come.” Darkness covers the earth, confusion the peoples; yet upon the Church the glory of the Lord rises. From afar come the nations; caravans move; gold and frankincense are borne toward the light. Epiphany is not poetry. It is prophecy fulfilled. It is the world summoned to Christ.
Much curiosity surrounds the star. Every age speculates about signs, calculations, and wonders. Yet Scripture and the Fathers direct us to something more sober and more demanding. These Magi were not idle mystics. They were men formed by knowledge and disciplined by vigilance. Through the providence of the Babylonian Exile, the hopes of Israel had been carried east. The sacred books were known. The promises remembered. Daniel himself had governed the wise men. When the sign appeared, they recognised it—not vaguely, not emotionally, but intelligibly. And then they acted.
This is the first judgment Epiphany places upon our own age. We are rich in information and poor in obedience. We analyse endlessly, debate incessantly, comment confidently—but how rarely do we follow. The Magi did not content themselves with recognising the sign; they rose, gathered what they had, and set out. Faith that does not move the feet has not yet reached the heart.
Their arrival in Jerusalem would have caused a stir—an entourage, gifts, guards, camels. And yet, when they asked their simple question—“Where is He that is born King of the Jews?”—no one knew. The city of prophecy had forgotten what it was waiting for. Knowledge lay dormant. Expectation had grown cold.
Herod knew enough to be afraid. A usurper always trembles at the mention of a true king. The scribes eventually find the prophecy—Bethlehem of Juda—but they themselves do not go. This is the second judgment of Epiphany: Scripture without worship hardens the soul. Knowledge without conversion becomes sterile. The Magi move on, and the star leads them—not generally, but precisely—to the place where the Child is.
St Matthew gives us the heart of the feast in one line: “Falling down, they adored Him.” This is the first act of the Gentile Church. Not activism. Not strategy. Not dialogue. Adoration. Knees bend before tongues speak. And only then are the gifts offered—gold for the King, frankincense for God, myrrh for the Victim. Even here the Cross is present. The crib already points to Calvary.
The liturgy dares to say more. In the Secret the Church confesses that these gifts are no longer mere symbols, “but He is sacrificed and received who by those very gifts was signified.” Epiphany is Eucharistic. The same Christ adored by the Magi is adored upon the altar. The star that once led the nations now yields to the greater light of sacramental grace. If we wish to find Him today, this is where He is.
The Church also sings of a threefold manifestation: to the Magi as King, in the Jordan as Son of the Father, and at Cana as Lord of creation. Christ is revealed whole. He cannot be reduced—to a moral teacher, a private inspiration, or a cultural symbol. Epiphany shatters every attempt to domesticate Him. He is Lord.
And now the feast turns its gaze upon us.
“They returned to their country by another way.” An encounter with Christ always changes direction. This is the question Epiphany presses upon the faithful today: are we truly seeking Him, or merely speaking about Him? Our age loves religious language but resists religious obedience. We know the Scriptures, the traditions, the controversies—but do we rise and set out?
Epiphany calls first for active seeking. Christ is not found by the complacent. Prayer must be reclaimed as discipline, not decoration. Daily prayer, serious prayer, prayer that orders life—this is how the faithful keep watch for the star. A Catholic who does not pray is no longer seeking.
Second, Epiphany demands public fidelity. Christ is revealed to the nations, not confined to private sentiment. The Magi confessed Him openly before Herod’s court. Today the faithful are tempted to silence—mistaken for prudence. Epiphany forbids retreat. Christ must be acknowledged in family life, in work, in public witness—not aggressively, but unmistakably.
Third, Epiphany restores true worship. The Magi fell down and adored. Our age is busy, distracted, informal before God. The renewal of the Church will not come through programmes or slogans, but through reverence—especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Without adoration, charity collapses into ideology and action into noise.
Fourth, Epiphany insists upon conversion of life. To go home by another way means habits must change, compromises must end, attachments must be surrendered. Faith that leaves life untouched is not faith, but memory.
Finally, Epiphany demands manifest charity. St Paul gives the measure. Patience, kindness, humility, endurance—these are the true signs that Christ dwells within us. Charity is the star by which others may yet be led to Him.
Beloved in Christ, Epiphany is not an ancient story. It is a present summons. The Kingdom is in His hand—truly, not symbolically. The star still shines. The King is still present. The only question is whether we will rise, follow, adore—and having met Him, dare to return by another way.
For the Child revealed today is not merely to be admired.
He is to be obeyed.
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