The Feast of the Epiphany
What the Church celebrates today is the
manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after
being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem
He is revealed to the Magi who have come from
the East to adore Him. Christian tradition has ever
seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles;
they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth,
and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of
universal salvation. St. Leo brings out this point
admirably in a sermon, read at Matins, in which
he shows in the adoration of the Magi the begin-
nings of Christian faith, the time when the great
mass of the heathen sets off to follow the star
which summons it to seek its Saviour.
