The Church celebrates today the great solemnity of the Epiphany which translates to “ manifestation” , “ revelation” or “ appearance” from the Greek, epiphaneia. An ancient Byzantine hymn sums up what it means to celebrate this great solemnity, “ You have revealed Yourself to the world today, and your light, O Lord, has shined upon us,” declares one of the Byzantine kontakions, or hymns, for the Feast of the Epiphany (called the Feast of the Theophany in the Eastern churches). “You have come and revealed Yourself, O Inaccessible Light”, it continues.  Today’s solemnity celebrates the appearance of the Son of God in the flesh to the nations.  The gifts brought by the Magi—gold, frankincense, and myrrh: Gold represents Christ's kingship, Frankincense represents His role as High Priest of the New Covenant and His divine personhood and myrrh foreshadows His death. The magi did the Christ child homage and returned home by a different way, this shows that every encounter with God changes lives in a sense that we are constantly being directed and prompted to where God wants us to be.  May His manifestation today to the nations guide us all onto the path of life that He eked out for us.