Epiphany & the Baptism of the Lord

Every Nation on Earth Will Adore You

What is the point of Epiphany? Sure, it's nice that three wise men from far away came to visit the baby Jesus, but why does it matter? The Responsorial Psalm for the feast gives us the answer: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." The Second Reading elaborates:
Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
— Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
The Son of God came to earth to be the Messiah of the Jewish people, but that wasn't all. He came to save men and women of every nation, incorporating them into his Kingdom. The magi are the first gentiles to come to their Savior, and as such they prefigure every person in every age who comes to faith in Christ. We are not called to preach the gospel to only one group of people, but to everyone!
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

This collect prayer begins the Mass for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Jesus is calling us to "take up battle against spiritual evils." We'll explore fasting itself in a few weeks; during the week of Ash Wednesday, we're going to dig into an important set of weapons the Lord gives us to fight evil: sacramentals.

What's a sacramental? Well, if you attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, you're probably going to receive one on your forehead.

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