Jan. 4, 2026 Epiphany
This Sunday will be the feast of Epiphany. The word epiphany means to make manifest or make possible to see. In the gospel we see that the three Magi have found a star in the sky that has not been there before. They checked their charts and yes, and it is a brand-new Star! According to their astrology such an event, as a brand-new star, meant that a royal King has been born. They actually do not get any definition as to where the child is located though, except that the star comes from the eastern part of the sky. And so, just that orientation of the star in the sky becomes their guide. They follow it for days and finally arrive in the Kingdom of Israel, in the central city of kingdom, Jerusalem. Since they are seeking royalty, they seek out information from the palace as to where the newborn king was born. Eventually, Herod gets word of their inquiry and asks them directly. Of course, he becomes startled by the news that there is a new king in his kingdom and as a result has to consult a whole group of religious advisers to find out what does the star truly mean and where such a king would be born? The religious leaders identify that Bethlehem would be the place of such a birth. The rest of the story we all know, the Magi find the child with his mother and present their gifts to him. Suspicious of King Herod’s desire to also adore the child, they return to their country by another route. In ancient times, mariners used lighthouses to guide them to safe ports. The lighthouses would warn of dangerous shoreline and would direct the mariners to a safe harbor. Our gospel invites us to consider what are the things we use as guides in our life. Is our Catholic faith one of those? Or are there other things and values that we place as more important and as the true guide for how we should conduct our lives or for what we should seek in our lives? The Magi came to adore what they thought would be a new king. But what they found was a small baby whose parents were not very wealthy or influential. They returned to their homeland, wondering how such a child would become king or what would his kingdom be like. Their questions can invite us to ponder also, what will our lives be like for placing our trust in Jesus Christ? His was the star that guided the Magi. Is his presence like lighthouse for our lives, guiding us to safe harbor? One commentator wrote the following regarding “safe lights” which can guide our lives: “Anyone who has ever worked in a black-and-white darkroom knows how carefully calibrated light must be. Total darkness is impossible to work in, yet full light would destroy the image. So, photographers rely on safe lights—dim amber or red lamps that illuminate the room just enough to navigate trays, measure solutions, lift a print from the developer. A safe light never reveals the entire space; it offers only the clarity needed for the next action. The work depends not on brilliance but on trust. Trust that this small, special light is enough to guide each step until the image is complete. Faith often works the same way. God does not flood our lives with blinding certainty; God gives a light scaled to our need—gentle enough not to overwhelm us, but strong enough to walk by. Magi understood this intuitively. And like a safe light in the darkroom, the star gave them just enough guidance to move faithfully toward the Child.”1 We must choose what will be the light for our life. Will we follow the light that the world offers, that is often an illusion, or will we follow the light that is the only Truth?
1. SundaySermons.com
