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"and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."
- Matthew 2:10
Epiphany means the manifestation or the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Though it has been the Chosen People of God, Israel, who have been waiting for the Messiah, God has also revealed Himself to the Gentiles. The event marked an important moment in the History of Salvation. God is not only the God of Israel anymore, He is also God even of the Gentiles, He is already and truly the God of all nations and through this He has made His promise to Abraham a reality: Abraham would now become the father of all nations [Genesis 17:4] through Jesus Christ whose foster father on earth was Joseph, a descendant of his [see Luke 3: 23-38 and Matthew 1: 1-17]. Israel, could no longer claim exclusivity with regards to being the Chosen People because God has already manifested Himself to all represented by the Three Gentile Wise Men.
That is why St Peter writes that the members of the Church - we, the Christians - are now the chosen people of God, a royal priesthood, a consecrated people, set apart to proclaim the glory of God [see I Peter 2:9]. The people of Israel is no longer the only people of God but everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ are now His people [see I Peter 2:10].
God's salvation and friendship has been offered to everyone now [see John 3;16 and 15: 12-17]. He has chosen Israel to prepare a consecrated nation from which He would send the Savior and when the time comes He made the generous act of opening wide the doors of heaven for everyone to enter if they would just believe in Jesus Christ our Lord [see John 3:16].
It is true that the offer of salvation and divine friendship has been made for everyone to avail of. But though Jesus Christ our Lord has gained for us the grace to become children of God by His singular act of self-emptying, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead, the reward of heaven and eternal union with God is not automatic [see the Story of the Rich Young Man/Ruler: Luke 18: 18-23]. One has to freely respond to such invitation the same way that if invited to a wedding feast, one may or may not attend. However, if one refuses to come to the feast, he may not taste of the food prepared for the occasion [see Matthew 22: 1-14]. Just like heaven, if one rejects the offer of salvation and divine friendship, he will never be able to join the banquet prepared by God for those who accept His friendship for all eternity.
God has already opened the doors of heaven for all to enter through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is no other way to gain access to heaven and eternal life [see Acts 4:12 and John 14:6]. Jesus said He is the way, maybe we could also say He is the password. Unless we know the password, we can never access our life with God. hackers beware because of all passwords it is only the Lord who cannot be hacked. You might just find yourself spending your eternity with the Evil One who tried to become the first "hacker" thinking he could defeat God and God's loyal angels during the very first rebellion - the rebellion of the angels.
It is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord [Acts 16:31] and obeying His command to love one another [see John 15: 12-17] that we can be assured of enjoying our eternity with the Father . Unless we believe in Him and obey His command we shall never be with Him for all eternity [see Matthew 25: 31-46].
Friends, God has already given us the opportunity to be with Him forever. Let us not waste the chance or we might miss it for all eternity!
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