NOTE: The following is an excellent Epiphany Sermon by our Bishop of the Church of France (AOC), Yves Méra; Bible quotes (in English) are from the French translation of the Received Text Bible. (Bp Ogles)

SERMON for the day of the Epiphany

Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

THE THREE WISE MEN

After the Shepherds of Bethlehem, it is the three Magi who honor Our Lord

Jesus with their presence and their gifts. The census of the population is over,

and the Holy Family has found a rental in the city, fearing that Mary and the

newborn child are still too weak to consider the return journey to Galilee, by

mountainous roads.

Who are these Magi? Mage means: great. They are important personages,

scholars, astronomers, probably priests of the cult of Zoroaster, or Zarathustra,

who came from Persia. This pagan religion worshipped the stars, preached the

coming of the Kingdom of Justice, of which the supreme god is the great King,

and was critical of animal sacrifices in the name of the religion of the god

Mazda. Zoroastrianism teaches the knowledge of good and evil; Only the

learned choose the good and have a good conscience, the foolish choose the

evil and are destined for the worst kind of existence. Zoroastrian priests came

from the Mobad caste, wielding great political influence in the Persian state.

These are the visitors who arrived in Bethlehem by following a bright star that

appeared in the sky in the year 4 before the Christian era, according to the

writings of the time, preserved on wooden tablets in South Korea, in the

temple of Haen-Sa. And these scholars read the writings of the prophets of the

Old Testament. They knew that a King of the Jews was to come, miraculously

born of a Virgin and announced by an exceptional star.

They set out following this star as it spun westward, toward Judea. As soon as

they saw it, they saddled their horses, impatient to know what this star meant,

and whither it was going to lead them. This is how they arrived in Bethlehem,

after a stopover in Jerusalem, at the home of King Herod. Note that pagans

study the texts of all religions, including the Bible – and how could we not study

the texts of our Bible? Through it, the Gentiles hope to find the knowledge of

the true God - and we would neglect to deepen our knowledge of Christ? What

kind of relationship can we expect to have with our Lord and Savior, if we do

not read the writings of His witnesses—the gospel? Didn't St. Augustine say:

quot;To ignore the Bible is to ignore Christ? end quot;

And it was not out of simple Gnostic curiosity that three Magi undertook the

journey to a God who was little known to them, but for a specific religious

purpose (Matthew 2:1-2): " Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of

King Herod. Now the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem and said,

"Where is the king of the Jews who has just been born? For we have seen his

star in the East, and we have come to worship him. end quote;. Was it a sincere

statement, or was it a diplomatic allegation intended to conciliate the favors of

King Herod and his believing and practicing Jewish subjects? Probably both at

the same time. Being learned does not prevent you from being cautious, quite

the contrary. However, the Magi unwittingly provoke a movement of general

panic, because they announce the birth of another King, threatening by His

very existence the crown of Herod who is already tottering on his throne

(Matthew 2:3): " When King Herod heard this, he was troubled and all

Jerusalem with him".

But in his trouble, Herod spills the beans and sends the Magi to Bethlehem,

directly! (Matthew 2:4-8): " He gathered together all the chief priests and

scholars of the law among the people and asked them where the Messiah was

to be born. They said to him, "To Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the

prophet has written: And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are certainly not

the smallest of the chief cities of Judah, for from you will come a ruler who will

take care of my people Israel." Then Herod sent for the Magi in secret; he

carefully inquired of them when the star had appeared, and then he sent them

to Bethlehem, saying: "Go and get exact information about the little child.

When you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him."

". Not even in a dream! Jesus Christ did not unnecessarily nickname Herod "the

fox, quote; (Luke 13:32): quote; ... and some Pharisees came and said to him, ;Go away, for

Herod wants to kill you. He replied, ;Go and tell this fox, 'Behold, I cast out

demons and do healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be

finished.;" ". Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, knew that Herod was a

fox, a liar, and therefore a son of the devil, an evildoer, always wanting to

eliminate him physically, as he eliminated the prophet John the Baptist.

But our Father in Heaven watched over the three Magi and continued to guide

them by the same star of the East, of that East where God is venerated without

men knowing Him, because they still have the intuition of an almighty God,

Creator of the Universe, without whom no life would be possible on earth

(Isaiah 24:14b-16a): " ... from the east, they celebrate the majesty of the Lord.

Therefore give glory to the Lord in the places where the light shines, in the

name of the LORD, of the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the end

of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Just!" ". If even the pagans give glory to the God of Creation, the atheists are deluded, rejecting even the idea of

Creation. They know, however, that from generation to generation, their

ancestors whom they did not know necessarily existed, otherwise they would

not be here, for there is no spontaneous generation; and there must have been

a beginning in all these generations, a first man, created by a single God, living

and true, all-powerful, and therefore capable of creating Adam and Eve, our

first progenitors. In short, if living man exists, it is necessarily through the will

and effectiveness of a single, living and true God: our Father in Heaven!

And so it is that the three Magi find the house of the Holy Family in Bethlehem

(Matthew 2:9-10): " When they heard the king, they departed. The star which

they had seen in the East went before them until it came to a halt when it came

over the place where the little child was. When they saw the star, they were

filled with great joy." They did not think they would find the little Jesus so

easily, at the end of such a long and perilous journey! Once there, they did not

linger (Matthew 2:11): "They went into the house, saw the little child with Mary

his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. Then they opened their

treasures and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Note also this:

the Magi do not pay attention to Mary; all their homage and gifts are for Jesus.

None of the three Magi arrives empty-handed, which in the East would be

insulting.

The three Magi therefore offer Jesus three gifts: first, gold, from which the

crowns of kings are made, a symbol of wealth and power; then incense, symbol

of the prayer to God who ascends to Heaven - Jesus is then designated not only

as the king of the Jews, but also as the true God. Finally, the Magi offer myrrh,

a medicinal analgesic plant, and in this way they announce the sufferings of the

same Jesus, some thirty years later, tortured and then crucified on Mount

Golgotha to snatch us from the clutches of the devil where Adam's sin and ours

have precipitated, bound and chained us. And it is through His resurrection on

the third day that Christ has set us free, forgiven, justified, and glorified us, if

we believe in Jesus Christ and are united to Him by faith, in thanksgiving.

And our Father was not only watching over the three Magi: He was protecting

His Son in His youth, for God's Plan was for Him to live in order to die as an

adult on a wooden cross. Our Father therefore guides the three Magi on the

road back, so that Herod does not find Him, and eliminates Him (Matthew

2:12): "Then, warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their

country by another way." How can we not think that once they arrived in

Persia, they certainly continued to venerate Jesus, the only true God and King

of kings, the One whom they saw alive with their own eyes, after having waited

for Him, sought Him and finally found Him? (Luke 11:9): " And I say to you, Ask

 and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to

you." God allows Himself to be found by those who seek Him in Sacred

Scripture, as the three Magi did at the beginning.

Paul took the opposite path, to evangelize the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1-2): " I,

Paul, am the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if you have learned how I

share the grace of God which has been entrusted to me for you." Paul sought

God in the rites and details of the Jewish Law and its 613 commandments. But

Christ was not with Saul until He revealed Himself to him, on the road to

Damascus, in pagan territory, precisely (Ephesians 3:3): " By revelation he made

known to me this mystery as I have already described it in a few words ". It is

often on a road, when we are already on the way, that Christ reveals Himself to

us, as He revealed Himself to the pilgrims to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-15): " That

same day two disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, a dozen miles

away from Jerusalem. They discussed everything that had happened together.

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself drew near and walked

with them... ".

Christ made Himself known to Saul and renamed him Paul, just as the same

Christ renamed Simon by calling him Peter. Both were thus designated as

leaders of evangelistic teams, Peter for the Jews, and Paul for the non-Jews. By

revealing Himself to Paul, Christ made Himself known to him (Ephesians 3:5-9):

" He was not made known to men of past generations, as he has now been

revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that the

Gentiles are joint-heirs with the Jews, that they form a body with them and

participate in the same promise in Christ, through the Gospel. I became His

servant in accordance with the gift of God's grace, which was bestowed upon

me because of the efficacy of His power. I, who am the least of all the saints,

have received the grace to proclaim among the Gentiles the infinite riches of

Christ and to bring to light how the mystery hidden from all eternity in God,

who created everything, is realized." To evangelize is to serve God the Son,

through His Holy Spirit, by doing the Father's will.

The place of the knowledge of God was Bethlehem for the three Magi, but

Jesus is no longer in Bethlehem. He ascended to Heaven. From there He makes

His dwelling in the hearts of believers faithful to His Word (Revelation 3:20): "

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the

door, I will go in to his house, I will sup with him and he with me." The most

suitable place and the goal of evangelization is therefore a table simply

garnished: the Table of the Lord! In a few moments we shall pass to this table,

but we must first cleanse ourselves from our sins by repentance, by virtue of

the merits gained for us by our Lord and Saviour at the cross of Calvary. We

remember this because " in accordance with the eternal plan which he fulfilled

in Christ Jesus our Lord, it is in Christ, through faith in him, that we have the

liberty to draw near to God with confidence " (Ephesians 3:11-12).

You've certainly noticed that I've skipped verse 10 – and here's why: I've saved

it for last, because it's extremely important. Indeed, he speaks of the role of the

Church of Christ. Here it is (Ephesians 3:10): " So the rulers and authorities in

the heavenly places now know through the church the infinitely varied wisdom

of God." Paul makes it clear that the church is not an end in itself, but a MEANS

to know God. Her role is not to glorify herself or her pastors, but to glorify God

alone (Soli Deo gloria). The Church of Christ is therefore teaching by nature. It

teaches the Word of God - the Bible - which contains what God wants to reveal

to us about His Wisdom. How many preaching deviates from this objective in

order to lose oneself in the meanders of moralism and politics! God will judge.

And this Wisdom of God is infinite, " infinitely varied "; it is universal. It cannot

be contained in a church building or temple, but in the hearts of the "living

stones" that we are (1 Peter 2:4-5): "Draw near to Christ, the living stone

rejected by men but chosen and precious before God, and yourselves, as living

stones, let yourselves be built up into a spiritual house, a group of holy priests,

in order to offer spiritual sacrifices that God can accept through Jesus Christ ."

The Church of Christ is provisional; it is only the antechamber of the Kingdom

of Heaven. When the end of this world comes, the antechamber will no longer

exist, for it will no longer have a reason to exist: we will have entered the

Kingdom, and we will live in the presence of God, our Savior and King. And like

the three Magi, we will pay our respects to him, with our gratitude and love,

forever. Amen.

 

Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.