The Feast of the Epiphany is always special in my family as it is the anniversary of the death of my dear Aunt Patty, a very holy, kind and loving lady. She died a holy death because she lived a holy life. One of her many examples to us is that one dies as one lives. Her last words were Jesus, Mary, I love you! I miss my Aunt Patty and try always to be the priest she wanted me to be.
When the Wise Men came to the stable to give homage to Our Blessed Lord, (and we do not know exactly how many came, though popular thought gives us three because of the gifts they brought,) they were showing us that the Lord Jesus is King, Priest and Sacrifice, all at the same time. Gold you give to a king, frankincense you give to a priest and myrrh is given in honor of a sacrifice of life.
The greek word used for child in the description of Our Lord at the visit of the Wise Men is that of “toddler” and not baby, so we know it was a couple years after the nativity. Scripture also mentions that “…they found Him with Mary, his mother…” Even though St. Joseph was there and the head of the Holy Family, only Our Lady is mentioned. Another sign of her great importance. “…and falling down they worshipped Him.” She is worthy of veneration but only Our Blessed Lord is worthy of adoration.
Those who were summoned to the stable were the lowliest and the highest of society. Shepherds were considered little more than beggars and thieves and were shunned by “polite society” at the time. People do not realize how low shepherds were, and yet, Our Lord is called the Good Shepherd. This analogy is often used in scripture of Him and the oldest images we have of Our Lord in the catacombs are of Him as the Good Shepherd, long before the cross was used. The cross took many decades before it was commonly used as the horror of its connotation was shunned. Still, it was destined to be the ubiquitous symbol of the faith, but it took some time.
Also summoned to the stable were the Wise Men, who represented the humble, educated classes. Many say they were “righteous pagans.” We know they were astrologers, (for astronomy came out of the practice of astrology; they were intermingled for centuries.) They saw the signs that others could not see. Herod and his court astrologers could not see it, for he asked them to tell him where to go! So, the lowest and the highest were at the manger, while all those in the middle were nowhere to be found! Interesting. Very interesting. The lowest, who know they know nothing- and the humble highest, who know they are responsible for what they know! How fascinating this lesson is for us, and like much of scripture, bears diligent study to find the real truth.
He came to live the life we can not live. To die the death we can not die. To love as we can not love, but here is the great fact of His life- He gives to any who truly asks, ALL THE MERIT of His sacrifice. It is imputed to us by grace and becomes, if we allow it, our new way of life so that, at the end of this life, we can be like the shepherds who were visited by the singing angels of heaven and the Wise Men who saw His sign where others saw nothing. For me, it means I can become like my Aunt Patty and die a happy, holy death, so that I can live in eternal bliss. King, Priest and Sacrifice- and lover of souls!
