Jesus is born poor in a stable; the angels of heaven indeed acknowledge Him, but men abandon and forsake Him on earth. Only a few shepherds come and pay Him homage. But our Redeemer was desirous of communicating to us the grace of His redemption, and begins therefore to manifest Himself to the Gentiles, Who knew Him least.

Therefore He sends a star to enlighten the Holy Magi, in order that they may come and acknowledge and adore their Saviour. This was the first and sovereign grace bestowed upon us--our vocation to the faith; which was succeeded by our vocation to grace, of which men were deprived.

Behold the wise men, who immediately, without delay, set off upon their journey. The star accompanies them as far as the cavern where the holy Infant lies: on their arrival they enter and [...] feel a joy which they had never felt before; they feel their hearts tied to the dear little Infant which they behold.

The straw, the poverty, the cries of their little Saviour--Oh, what darts of love! Oh, what blessed flames are they to their enlightened hearts! The Infant looks upon them with a joyful countenance, and this is the mark of affection with which He accepts them among the first-fruits of His Redemption.

The holy kings then look at Mary, who does not speak --she remains silent; but with her blessed countenance that breathes the sweetness of paradise she welcomes them, and thanks them for having been the first to come and acknowledge Her son (as indeed He is) for their Sovereign Lord.

See also how, out of reverence, they adore Him in silence, and acknowledge Him for their God, kissing His feet, and offering Him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Let us also with the holy Magi adore our little King Jesus, and let us offer Him all our hearts.

 
 

 
 

Epiphany means, in particular, the manifestation of the Savior to the Gentile world, in the person of the Magi.

The way in which the Magi acted shows us the qualities that our faith ought to have.

They were faithful to the inspiration of grace. They did not doubt nor remain in reasoning, but immediately began to carry out their decision.

If we listen faithfully to the call of grace, we shall come to Christ, Who is the Life of our soul.

The Church would have us associate ourselves with the adoration of the Magi and offer the infant God the gold of a life full of love and fidelity, the frankincense of a prayerful faith, the myrrh of our sorrows, tears, and sufferings which we unite to His own.

When God makes the light of the Gospel shine in the sight of the pagans, or permits His Truth to be realized by those living in error, the Epiphany is renewed.

The Epiphany is continued also in the faithful soul when our love of Christ becomes more fervent and steadfast, for then Christ begins to manifest Himself and lives in us by His Divine grace.

While at Christmas we admire the union of Our Lords Divinity with His humanity, at the Epiphany, we honor the spiritual union of our souls with Him.