Epiphany is a benevolent disclosure of God's closeness to us and to all creation that He has pitched His tent and dwells in our midst. He chose a humble abode and a lowly couple to mark His presence. From then on, no one is foreign to Him. No human abode is defiled. By His birth, God disposes every mark of defilement in the place. Every abode of a family deserves humane recognition and treatment.

God's lowly entrance into our midst was received with different reactions. The Magi from the East represented by Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar, who were vigilant in their waiting and unceasing in their searches, led us to pay our reverential homage and gifts to the infant Jesus. Now all sovereignty, might and supremacy must be accorded to Immanuel, God-is-with-us. This shatters the manner of perceiving God as distant and unapproachable. Jesus Christ has come without any violent clamour of threats. From the wisest of experts, a new focal point of supremacy is marked upon Jesus. By not returning to Herod, the Magi have led us to a new way of relating, that is, we shall have no more evil intent and avoid associating ourselves with corrupt powers.

What words would you use to describe your reception to God manifesting His presence in our midst as a vulnerable baby?