Epiphany of the Lord, Sunday – 02nd January 2022 — Gospel: Matthew 2,1-12
Recognized His star
The wise men from the East, avid scholars of spiritual mysteries, interpreted the rising of the star as a heavenly sign marking the birth of a great ruler. And so they undertook an arduous journey to honour the infant of whom great things were prophesied. In the days of Moses, a seer from the East named Balaam had blessed Israel’s future by proclaiming a coming king who would be announced by a star: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num 24,17). The chief priests and the scribes knew this ancestral prophecies and the prophetic text from Micah (5,2; Mat 2,6) that confirms the birth of a great Messiah in Bethlehem, who will be shepherd and ruler over Israel like David (2 Sam 5,2). But the wise men, who were more closely acquainted with nature, had neither known the Jewish scriptures nor of the foretold prophecies. However, they recognized the star; for the gospel text states that it was not just any unusual cosmic occurrence, but “his star”, a divine sign pointing to the Messiah. And they came prepared with offerings that refer to his kingship, divinity and humanity.
