Epiphany 2025 Year C

Following the Christmas Star the Wise men found Christ Our Lord. St Chrysostom says (Hom. ii. in Matth.): If the Wise men had come in search of an earthly King, they would have been quite perturbed at finding, after such a journey, a poor unimportant family. Consequently they would have neither adored nor offered gifts. But since they sought a heavenly King, though they found in Him no signs of royal pre-eminence, yet, content with the testimony of the star alone, they adored: for they saw a man, and they acknowledged a God. Moreover, they offer gifts in keeping with Christ’s dignity: gold, as to the great King; they offered frankincense as to God, because incense is used in the Divine Sacrifice; and myrrh, which is used in embalming the bodies of the dead, is offered as to Him who is to die for the salvation of all.

Why did the wise men seek this newborn king? What were they seeking? Were they seeking riches? Were they seeking comfort? Were they seeking entertainment? It was for none of these. They came to honour the great king whose birth was writing in the Stars. As the wise men followed the Star, we follow Christ’s Church. Why do we go to Church? What are we seeking? Do we go to church to become rich? Do we go because the pews are nice and comfy? Do we go for entertainment? Or like the wise men do we go to worship God? As God gave Wise men a Star to find Him, God has given to us His Church to guide us.

We should not assume that seeking God will lead to a life of ease and comfort. The Wise Men travelled a very long distance. It is thought that they may have come from Persia or even further, something like 800 miles (about 1280 km). The journey of faith can be challenging and demanding, requiring sacrifices, perseverance, and a willingness to face adversity. Seeking God will consist of:

Trials and Tribulations: The Bible is filled with stories of individuals who faced significant hardships despite their faith. For example, Job endured immense suffering, and the Apostle Paul faced numerous persecutions and imprisonments. These trials are often seen as tests of faith and opportunities for spiritual growth.

Self-Denial and Sacrifice: Jesus himself taught that following him would require self-denial and taking up one's cross (Matthew 16:24). This means putting aside personal desires and ambitions to align with God's will, which can be uncomfortable and challenging.

Opposition and Persecution: Throughout history, many believers have faced opposition and persecution for their faith. Jesus warned his followers that they would be hated and persecuted because of him (John 15:18-20).

Inner Transformation: Seeking God often involves a deep inner transformation, which can be an uncomfortable process. It requires confronting one's flaws, repenting for past mistakes, and striving to become a better person.

Finding Christ the Wise men found something more than comfort, riches or anything this world can offer, they found God Himself. The God who came to save us from our sins, from our sinful lives, from our perverse way of living and thinking. God saw that we lived in the darkness of ignorance and deceit, He saw that we were lost and sought only earthly things, He saw that we were dying in our sin. And so He came to teach us the truth, for He is the Truth Itself, dispelling our ignorance of heaven and dispelling the deceit of the devil that this world is everything; He came not only to show us the way, He opened up the way for He is the Way, giving us a choice to choose the way to Heaven or to choose to way of the world; He did not merely come to offer us life, He enlivens us with eternal life for He is Life itself, a life different from a life of sin, lived for oneself, He officers a live of Holiness lived for God.

Selfish sinful man seeks only himself and tries to fill himself with the things of the world, and in so doing walks away from God. And so man getting lost in the world was incapable of finding God. How could one find heaven without a map, GPS, directions or road signs indicating the way? So God gave us a map and much more in His Son who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. “Repent,” our Lord preached, “for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Our God has shown us how to live Godly lives, lives which lead to heaven. Isn’t that great? If someone had taught you a guaranteed way to become rich, powerful and beautiful would you not be happy? God has given us so much more. Our lives are either lived searching for God or chasing the world. We can now live lives which follow God’s Will or lives which reject or ignore it, following our own whims and desires. We can choose to be saints or remain sinners. We can choose to be like the shepherds who are not too busy for God or like the people of Bethlehem who have no space or time for Him. We can choose to be like the Wise Men who come to give their treasures to God or we can be like King Herod, afraid of losing our treasure to Him. We can be like Abel whose prayers go up to God because he loves God or like Cain whose prayers that sink to the earth, because he loves earth. ”For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)