First Reading (Isaiah 60:1-6). The exiles returned to Jerusalem to find the city in ruins. Here the prophet cheers them with a vision of a restored city that will become a beacon of light for all the nations. The nations will come from afar to pay tribute to and worship the Lord in Jerusalem. Though addressed to Israel as God’s chosen people, the prophecy will be fulfilled in Christ (‘the light of the world’), and in the new Israel, the Church.

Second Reading (Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6). This reading expresses the theological meaning of today’s feast: God invites Jew and Gentile to share on an equal footing the benefits of the salvation brought by Christ. This is the mystery, hidden in the past, now revealed in Christ.

Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12). The story of the Magi highlights a paradox: the Jews who have the Scriptures reject Jesus, while Gentiles come and, with the help of the Scriptures, find and adore him. The biblical Magi are three Wise Men or Kings, distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

There is nothing to be gained by speculating where the Magi came from and what exactly the star was. The star was merely the means by which a great mystery was revealed – the revelation of Christ as the Saviour of the Gentiles too.

The theme of light dominates the feast of the Epiphany as it does the feast of Christmas.