From Epiphany’s Light to Lent’s Sobriety
He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.— Psalm 72
This reflection was first written on the eve of Epiphany in 2016, when the Church remembers the visit of the Wise Men — powerful men kneeling before a vulnerable child.
At the time, the contrast felt vivid: wealth bowing before poverty, influence bending before innocence. Epiphany celebrates that revelation — that the light of Christ is not reserved for the powerful, nor defined by them.
But today, in Lent, Psalm 72 reads with a different weight.
Lent is not a season of spectacle. It is a season of sobriety. And here the psalmist reminds us what has always been paramount in God’s heart: the lowly matter. The poor are not incidental. The blood of the needy is “dear in his sight.”
That word — dear — is arresting.
It means their suffering is not anonymous. Their lives are not expendable. Their pain is not background noise in the march of history. It is noticed.
Throughout Scripture, this theme repeats with stubborn consistency. Care for the needy is not a political slogan; it is a divine priority. It precedes parties, policies, and platforms. It is rooted in the character of God Himself.
In Epiphany, kings kneel before a child. In Lent, we watch that child grow into a man who will align Himself unmistakably with the poor, the oppressed, the overlooked — and ultimately become one of them.
The light revealed at Epiphany does not fade as the season changes. It grows sharper.
The nights may still feel long. The world may still appear uneven and unjust. But the promise stands: the lives of the needy are preserved in ways we cannot always see, and their blood is not forgotten.
The light has come — not merely to dazzle, but to redeem.
And that changes how we see everyone.
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