The Feast of the Epiphany - The Magi

“Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.” (Is 60:1-6)

The last part of the book of Isaiah contains the words of a prophet who preached when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. They found their Temple destroyed and their city leveled. But the prophet sees a wonderful future for them because God loves them so much.

On this feast of Epiphany, we remember those mysterious figures from the East (about whom little is known) who visited the Holy Family. They have long been the subject of stories and legends. Early on, they were looked upon as royal figures. This may have been suggested by Psalm 72: “The kings of Arabia and Sheba shall bring tribute; all kings shall pay him homage.”

There’s no indication that the Magi were kings, but we do believe that they came from afar, from a distant pagan land. And they came to find and praise a new and unknown king — Jesus.

The feast of the Epiphany emphasizes that Jesus didn’t just come for his immediate community, but that he came for everyone — men and women, black, white, yellow, and red, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, people of all faiths, people who don’t go to church at all, saints and sinners, everyone without exception.

That means I can look at anyone and say: “Jesus came for this person. And he would have come if this were the only person in the world. Jesus loves this person.”

“This person” is me.

. . . King Cake

Mardi Gras can begin as early as January 6, the feast of the Epiphany. Since the Magi (often referred to as the “Three Kings”) are part of this feast, the celebration includes a “king cake.”

The tradition of king cake at Mardi Gras is said to have originated in 12th-century France. The circular shape of the cake signifies, so some say, the roundabout route home that the Magi took to prevent Herod from finding the Christ Child.

Several king cakes may be served in the weeks before Ash Wednesday. Originally, hidden in each was a small coin, bean, or pea. ‘Whoever found this in their piece of cake received special honors which varied from place to place. In some cases, if it was a man, he became king of that year’s festivities. If it was a Woman, she was the queen.

There also developed the custom of substituting a tiny figurine of a baby for the coin. This was referred to as the “baby Jesus,” again because of the association with the feast of the Magi.The feast of The Epiphany will be celebrated this coming Sunday, on January 4th this year.