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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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Epiphany
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A mosaic of the Three Kings on the facade of the
Church of the Nativity saved the site of Christ's birth from
destruction.
In 664, Persian invaders were amazed to see the Three Kings dressed as
they themselves were. They decided not to burn the Church.
When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in
the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, the work of
Christmas begins: to find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry,
rebuild the nations, bring peace among people, make music in the heart.
(Howard Thurman)
Jesus was getting painful splinters from His tight cradle.
The people had been counted by the census takers like cattle. The
crowds had withdrawn. Bethlehem became a sleepy town again. Joseph took
his wife and Child out of the damp hillside cave above Bethlehem. He
rented a one bedroom house at off season rates on Main Street. Given
his credit ratings, not even a loanshark would give him the dollars to
buy a house.
In Bethlehem. the Holy Family remained about two years.
Life settled into routine. They didn't have to celebrate Christmas the
way we do. They were free of our physical and emotional exhaustion.
Joseph freelanced as a carpenter.
But the comfortable living was ending. Soon they would
have to throw a few things into cardboard boxes. They would flee as
displaced persons into Africa to save the Child's life.
Their anonymity was blown by the gentlemen we salute today
as wise. Inadvertently the magi had set Jesus up. The wise men were not
wise. Matthew, who owns the copyright on this tale, knew that.
There was a two year interval between the Boy's birth and
the unannounced arrival in Bethlehem of the magi. We conclude this by
wrestling with Gospel clues. The travelers came breathlessly not to
that famous cave now empty but to the rented ranch house. The greeting
card people notwithstanding, Jesus was already walking and saying
excitedly "Mama" and "Papa." He was in the terrible twos.
We do not know that the men were kings. All Matthew tells
us is "magi from the east arrived one day in Jerusalem."
If they had been of the blood royal, Matthew would have so
written. After all, his former profession as tax collector had trained
him to be precise. Had they been his peers, King Herod because of
noblesse oblige would have fussed about them more than he did. Their
kingship and blue blood began only in the sixth century. Their names as
Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar originated in the ninth.
Tradition has us speak of the magi as three. Yet Matthew
does not use a number. We say three since he speaks of three gifts.
Happily Matthew specifies the gifts for us - gold, frankincense, and
myrrh.
In the 8th century, Venerable Bede, the Benedictine
historianwriting in England, gave us the traditional
interpretation of their symbolism. The gold paid homage to the Child's
royal line. The incense saluted His divinity. The myrrh forewarned of
the passion. However, I prefer the charming explanation of the 13th
century Frenchman, Bernard of Clairvaux. The gold was to pay off the
bills at the supermarket. The incense was to fumigate the house. The
myrrh was intended to be a herbal medicine against worms in the Child.
Matthew does not tell us how long the magi remained. It
could have been but a long weekend or an extended stay. But, whichever,
fearful of assassination by King Herod, they rode off into history more
quietly than they came. A centuries old tradition says Mary gifted them
with the swaddling clothes of the Infant.
Matthew does not speak of them again. We do not know
whether Herod pursued them. We can only hope they got home safely for a
deserved rest. A late 20th century Japanese artist pictures them
traveling home by ship.
What is certain is that they did not march off into
obscurity. These were men who would remain famous for more than Andy
Warhol's fifteen minutes. They left behind them so much charm that
artists, poets, and preachers have been living off them for two
thousand years.
In the 20th century, two Nobel Prize poet laureates, TS
Eliot
and Miguel Angel Asterias, along with their celebrated confrere,
Langston Hughes, felt compelled to write of them at length.
We owe Jesus a gift. Why not adopt Thurman's platform -
find the lost, the hungry, the broken, and the sorrowful?
We make much of the Child this season. But dare we forget
more than a billion children, over half the world's boys and girls,
suffer extreme hardship because of war, HIV/AIDS, or poverty? (UN) We
have much work to do this new year. |
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
Epiphany
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The
Solemnity of the Epiphany is God’s showing or revelation of His Son to
the world.Traditionally, this revelation is seen as taking place
in three incidents in scripture: the journey of the Magi or Wise Men,
the Baptism of Jesus by John, and the changing of water into wine at
Cana, the first public miracle.In the Catholic Church, we
emphasize the first aspect this week, the magi, and the second Epiphany
next week, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.The third
Epiphany, Cana, is only presentedevery third year on the week
after the Baptism.
Today we meet Seekers.The Magi, Wise Men, Kings, whatever name
you wish to give them, were seekers.They were pagans, but they
were committed to finding the truth.“The truth will set you
free,” St. Paul would later say.The truth freed them from
paganism.The searched for the truth and they found Jesus, they
found the truth, Truth Incarnate.
Seekers for truth demand our respect.Many times people will come
into the rectory and ask about the faith simply looking for harmony in
a chaotic world.Many times people will ask you about your faith
not in a challenging way, but trying to understand why the Mass, why
the Eucharist is so important to you.I am sure you treat them
with great respect.Like the wise men, they are open to
journeying from their predispositions to finding a new understanding of
truth.
All
of us, though, must be seekers of truth throughout our lives.
None of us have completed the journey that God has set aside for us in
our lives.When we are open to his grace, we continually grow in
the knowledge of his truth.
I am
a bit uncomfortable with people who claim not to be seekers but to be
finders.I have to tell you that the expression “I have found the
Lord,” does give me some cause for concern. Perhaps some of
you might feel the same way.Perhaps some of you might also feel
uncomfortableassociating with people who seem so much
spiritually superior to you.
The
problem I have is very often I come upon people who proclaim, "I have
found the Lord," and then go on to be uncharitable and intolerant of
those who have not had an experience similar to their experience.
Sometimes they are within the Catholic Church.They feel so
overwhelmed by their experience that they treat other Catholics as
mediocre Christians because they don't share their particular prayer
situation.Christians who put other people down are not behaving
like Christians.Jesus never did this.He was open to
everyone.He never put anyone down.The only people that he
did have a difficult time with, according to the Gospels, were those
people who thought they were better, holier than others.He had
no use for the Pharisees of his day.I doubt that he has any use
for the Pharisees of our day.
Sadly, there are whole religions who claim that their members have
found the Lord and then go on to say that everyone else is going to
hell.At least they don’t discriminate.They condemn
everybody, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems and particularly Roman
Catholics. These people’s actions, their implicit hatred,
demonstrates that they have not found the Lord, the only have a vague
notion of where He lives.
Still, most of the people who state, "I have found the Lord," are
people of good will.They have in fact had an experience of God's
presence.Have they found the Lord or not?Yes, they
have.They have found one of the many ways that God is present
loving them and loving us all.Usually their discovery is that
God cares for them personally.This is good and beautiful.
But those who are intolerant and uncharitable are journeying in the
wrong direction.Their mistake lies in the assumption that their
experience of God's presence is the sum totality of his presence.
That
is not true.God is present in an infinite variety of ways in our
lives and in our world.If we focus on only one way that God is
present, such as the personal call, we might miss many other ways he is
present.We have to be seekers.We have to search for the
Lord wherever he might be found, including the expression of his truth
that proceeds from those who are very different from us such asa
Hindu like Mahatma Gandhi, or a Jew like Martin Buber.
"Wise men still seek Him."Perhaps that has become a trite
expression overused on so many Christmas cards.But it is still
true.We need to seek the many ways the Lord is present.
When we find one way he is present, we rejoice, but we still have to
keep looking.
St.
Paul told the Ephesians that he had a secret.it is as much a
secret now as it was then.The secret is that God loves and cares
for everyone, even if they are very different from each other.
Nothing could be more divergent than the pagan Gentiles and the
religious Jews. Certainly recent history has demonstrated how deep this
hostility remains. Yet, God has made Jews and Gentiles, Christians and
Moslems, all people, his children.
The
big secret that remained a secret to the people of Paul's day and
remains a secret for many of the people of our day is that God refuses
to be limited in his love by our intolerance. He will not
be limited in loving others by our view of what he should be like and
how people should experience him.At the same time, if we are
intolerant of others, then others will be denied seeing his presence in
us.Spiritual arrogance, whether that of ancient pharisees or
modern ones, hides the presence of the Lord.
"I
have found the Lord."Great, but keep looking. You have only
found one of the many facets of Infinite Truth, only one of the many
way thatthe Lord loves you.A retreat experience, the
birth of a child, a recognition of the depths of love of a friendship
or your marriage, a traumatic situation you have survived, your
adjustment to living as a single Catholic parent, the courage it takes
to deal with physical challenges and sickness, all of these are
additional ways you can find the Lord.We have to keep searching
for the Lord until the day we die.If we are not physically dead
when we stop searching for him, we will be spiritually dead.
Like
the magi, the wise men of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, our lives must
be a journey of faith searching for the Lord.
His
light is strong.His love is near.May he draw us beyond
the limits that this world imposes to the life where his Spirit makes
all life complete.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish
homilies
Epiphany
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Bottom line: Where the sun is, the stars have no light. Astrology and
naturalism fade when one discovers Christ.
I'd like to begin this Epiphany homily by describing one of the most
beautiful sights a person can see. I admit I have rarely seen it
because it involves getting up very early in the morning - before dawn,
when there are still stars visible in the sky. The sun has not yet
risen, but you can see its light on the eastern horizon. Little by
little the stars begin to disappear. Soon there is only one left and it
is not a star. It is the planet Venus. Finally the light of the sun
overcomes Venus, the Morning Star.
Something like this happens in today's Gospel. Wise Men - also called
Magi or astrologers or The Three Kings - come from the east because
they have seen a "star." We don't know exactly what the star refers to.
The Chicago Planetarium once had an exhibit title "The Star of
Bethlehem." They reconstructed the heavens around the time of Jesus'
birth and speculated that the star may have referred to a comet, some
configuration of planets or perhaps the Morning Star itself. Whatever
it was, the star led to Jesus. But when the Magi found Jesus, things
changed. Jesus was like the sun rising at dawn. The Wise Men no longer
need stars and planets. They now had the bright, life-giving sun.
The poet Lope de Vega wrote about a beautiful poem about this. It is
worth learning Spanish just to read this one poem. Its title is: La
llegada de los reyes magos. The arrival of the Magi Kings. Lope de Vega
describes how the star guided them in the dark night, but when they
found Jesus, the stars faded. Although it is difficult to translate
Lope de Vega's poem into English, let me try a few lines.
You Kings, who come from the East,
are searching the night sky
looking at the their beautiful lights.
Do not follow them now
for where the sun is
the stars have no light.
The Child shines upon you.
And where the sun is
the stars have no light.
Lope de Vega is thinking about the practice of astrology. It was
something that attracted him, but he realized that if he was going to
follow Christ, he would have to give up astrology. That could be hard
for many people - perhaps some in this congregation. The Catechism,
however, makes it clear that a Christian has to choose: "Consulting
horoscopes, astrology, (etc.) contradict(s) the honor, respect, and
loving fear that we owe to God alone." (2116) Where the sun is, the
stars have no light.
There is a more subtle way people want to put their trust the stars,
instead of Christ. A famous astronomer named Carl Sagan said, "we are
star stuff." That is a poetic phrase and it is true as far as it goes.
The matter that forms us was ultimately forged in the furnace of stars.
But, unfortunately, Sagan meant it in an absolute sense: We are only
star stuff. For him - and for philosophical naturalists - that is all
we are.* As Christians, we take a different view. We admit that we are
material beings, but we believe that we are something more. When we
encounter Christ, his light overwhelms even the stars. Astrology - and
naturalism - fade when one discovers Christ.
Today's Gospel tells what happened when the Magi Kings met Jesus. They
gave him their greatest gifts. Gold represents wealth and power.
Frankincense and myrrh had legitimate uses, but they were also utilized
in occult practices. The Magi placed all this at Jesus' feet. Then they
returned to their land, not guided by stars but more directly by God.
They had looked upon the sun and they knew that the stars - beautiful
as they are - are dim by comparison.
Do not follow them now
for where the sun is
the stars have no light.
The Child shines upon you.
And where the sun is
the stars have no light.
Aware that Jesus is the light of of the World, we now listen to the
Proclamation of the Date of Easter
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*Naturalism is attractive because of its simplicity, but it achieves
that simplicity at a price. For a consistent naturalist, good and evil
are subjective concepts and there can be no true freedom. As Richard
Dawkins wrote, "The universe we observe has precisely the properties we
should expect if there is at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and
no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference." In this view the
young woman here in King County, who on Christmas eve murdered her
parents, her brother and sister-in-law and their two children,
committed no evil act. Dinesh D'Sousa points out the logical
consequences of such a view:
"If we are purely material beings, then we should no more object to a
mass murder than a river objects to drying up in a drought.
Nevertheless we are not like rivers. We know that evil is real, and we
know that it is wrong. But if evil is real, then good must be real as
well. How else could we tell the difference between the two." (What's
So Great About Christianity, p 276)
In spite of his militant naturalism, Carl Sagan likewise knew that good
and evil are real. Take a look at the video where he confidently
explains that we are "star stuff." It shows pictures of primitive life
forms gradually morphing into a human (of course, a young woman). At
the conclusion he announces that "we are star stuff that has taken
destiny in its own hands." He offers no explanation how this leap has
taken place. He simply asks us to accept that it happened gradually.
Then, with no show of irony, he exhorts us not to "capitulate to
superstition, greed and stupidity." He urges us to make sacrifices for
future generation (who by the way have done nothing for us). :-) Well,
like most naturalists Carl Sagan is better than his philosophy.
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
Epiphany |
January Homilies:6th | 13th | 20th | 27th
Background:
In this year's readings the whole story of the Epiphany is told.
Next week we read the story of the second manifestation of the Divinity
of Jesus at his Baptism and the following Sunday - "Cana Sunday" we
witness the third manifestation at the Marriage Feast in Cana. Today we
hear about the first manifestation to the "Magi" (astrologers is
probably a good name for them, though it misses the attempts of these
men to produce a science of the stars).
Despite our tradition of Caspar, Beltassar, and Melchior, the
Greeks and the Russians hold that there were twelve kings. Since there
were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles, they argue that their
had to be twelve kings. Our tradition of three is based on the fact
that three gifts were mentioned. No matter how many of them there were,
they were men who, as the carol says, had the courage to follow their
star.
Story:
This is the story for those who miss the point.
(This homily series rarely repeats itself but there is only one
story that should be told
on this festival, and that is the magical story of Babuksa)
Once upon a time there lived in Bethlehem a woman named
Babushka. She kept the cleanest and neatest house in town and was also
the best cook. She heard rumors of three kings coming across the desert
but paid no attention to them because she had so much work to do. Then
she heard the sounds of drums and pipes and a cavalcade of riders. She
looked out the window and there were three richly dressed kings coming
towards her house. They told her that they had come to honor the little
prince who had been born in Bethlehem and they needed food and lodging.
Babushka cooked a wonderful meal for them, remade all the beds, and
wore herself out. The next morning the kings begged her to come with
them so she too might see the little prince. Babushka said she would
follow after them as soon as she finished the dishes. She cleaned the
house again and then took out of a cabinet the toys of her own little
prince who had died so long ago. She had no more need of them and would
give them to the new little prince. She put them in a basket and sat
down for a moment's rest before she followed the wise men.
Hours later she woke up, grabbed the basket, and rushed into
town. But the kings were gone and so was the little prince and his
parents. Ever after, it is said, Babushka has followed after them.
Whenever she finds a new born babe, she looks to see if he is the
little prince. Even if he (or in our days she too) is not there,
Babushka leaves a toy for the child. I think she probably found the
prince early on, but we still should learn from her lesson: we should
never let the important interfere with the essential.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
Epiphany
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Gospel Summary
The arrival of wise men from the East at the court of Herod the Great
with questions about the reported birth of a royal pretender could very
easily have caused some consternation. Herod was very well aware of
messianic pretenders and may have considered them a real threat to his
power. However, in this gospel story, the symbolic message has
completely eclipsed whatever historical kernel may have existed.
We know that Matthew, more than any other evangelist, is aware of the
hopes of ancient Israel and he is, therefore, constantly alert to any
opportunity to show that Jesus has fulfilled those expectations. Thus,
for example, Jesus’ lengthy sermon in Chapters Five to Seven is said to
have taken place on a mountain, simply because Matthew wants us to
recognize Jesus as a successor to Moses, who also proclaimed divine
revelation from a mountain top.
In the story of the Magi, Matthew wants us to recognize in Jesus the
new Solomon, whose reputation for wisdom was legendary. He too received
a visitor from the East, the Queen of Sheba, who was said to have been
“breathless” as she marveled at his wisdom and wealth (1 Kings
10:1-13).
This Epiphany story is, therefore, a celebration of the wisdom
represented by Jesus--in his person and in his message. It is an
unpretentious wisdom, because it is embodied in a tiny child, but it is
in fact the only wisdom that will ultimately survive.
Life Implications
The Magi represent secular wisdom, which is validated by success
through a clever use of power. In this case, physical power is for
controlling others, intelligence is for out-witting them, and wealth or
political power is for amassing ever more wealth and influence. This
wisdom is the centerpiece of today's dominant secular culture. It is
not always a bad thing, but neither should it be dominant.
Jesus offers a radically different kind of wisdom, which declares that
all forms of power must be in the service of love and that true success
should be measured in terms of who has been liberated by unselfish love
from the bondage of fear, guilt, low self-esteem and the like. Our real
power is our freedom, and it is very tempting to use that freedom to
dominate and control others. Jesus tells us that we should risk using
freedom as he did--for loving and freeing and trusting and forgiving.
In fact, I have often wondered whether the first, and perhaps the only,
question asked of us at the final judgment will simply be, “Did you let
my people go?” The powerful and oppressive Pharaoh was an exemplar of
secular wisdom; the God of Exodus and Jesus represent the far superior
and enduring wisdom of love and liberation. We need to ask ourselves
whether the net result of our actions and attitudes is to make others
stronger and happier and more confident. The Wise Men offer gifts to
Jesus because they recognize that the humble wisdom of Jesus eclipses
all forms of merely human wisdom.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
Epiphany
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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
MERRY CHRISTMASTIDE. By longstanding sacred tradition Christians
celebrate Christmas as a season, with the twelve days between Christmas
and the Epiphany as one long "Christmas day." The season ends with the
Baptism of the Lord. Christmas celebrations with friends and family,
decorations, and all of the other means of rejoicing, should continue
throughout the season. We can never rejoice in the Lord's birth too
much. As Christians, we will very often find ourselves living in
contradiction to the styles and preferences of the present age. We
should get very much used to the fact that we will face conflict among
friends, and even at times within families, as we seek, more generously
and more regularly, to live out and celebrate the mysteries of our
redemption in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because
he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: 'The first man
was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.' (1
Cor 15:45, 47) From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with
the Holy Spirit, for God 'gives him the Spirit without measure.' (Jn
3:34) From 'his fullness' as the head of redeemed humanity 'we have all
received, grace upon grace.' (Jn 1:16) (CCC 504)
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has
risen upon you."(Is 60:1) Isaiah the prophet describes the glory of
Jesus Christ, who is "full of grace and truth; we have beheld his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father"(Jn 1:14), our Messiah.
The prophet also foretells the reality of those first three wise men,
who represent the kings and the peoples of the whole earth, all of whom
are called to realize their full dignity as sons and daughters of God
in worship and praise of him for his glory and goodness. "Above you the
Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to
your light and kings to your dawning brightness." (Is 60:2-3)
The Father's only Son, conceived as man in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
is 'Christ,' that is to say, anointed by the Holy Spirit, from the
beginning of his human existence, though the manifestation of this fact
takes place only progressively: to the shepherds, to the magi, to John
the Baptist, to the disciples. Thus the whole life of Jesus Christ will
make manifest 'how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power.' (Acts 10:38) (CCC 486)
You and I, and all of mankind must, like the shepherds, the magi, St.
John and the disciples, come before the Lord in his humble birth at
Christmas, and worship him with all of our hearts, minds, souls and
strength.
You and I will be seen as acceptable and pleasing to God to the extent
that, in Christ, we grow in our praise and worship of him, generously,
with our whole being. How do we praise and worship God? Christ is our
model and our means. Christ has set down through example and precept
the ways in which we live the Christian life.
The ancient "way" of Christian life is repentance and belief in the
Gospel, practically and profoundly realized in the sacramental life.
The sacraments are the "Epiphany" or manifestation of the Lord for
every human being. In the sacraments the whole "glory" of Christ
"shines out" so that all nations may fall down in praise before the
Lord. Christians, from the first foundation of the Church, have met and
known Christ through the words of forgiveness in Confession: "Go, your
sins are forgiven you." And from the beginning, as we do today,
Christians have met Christ in the gift of His body and blood in the
Eucharist, and have fallen down in worship of Him, our God. "This is my
body...this is my blood." This is the greatest of all the sacraments,
the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Let us be ever more generous in our expressions of reverential worship
of the Lord. Do we approach Christ at communion with all the reverence,
love and worship due to God? Do we observe appropriate silence in
Church so that a spirit of prayer may be fostered? Are we distracted,
or a source of distraction for others, during Mass? Do we observe the
proper postures and practices of the liturgy? Do we chew gum in Church?
Do we observe the hour-long fast prior to receiving Communion?
We prepare for the joy of heaven, where will live as the praise of
God's glory forever and ever, by the way we approach the Lord as he
manifests himself in the "Epiphany" which is every Mass.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.)
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
Epiphany
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The Feast of the Epiphany is the oldest in the Liturgical Calendar
after Easter and Pentecost and Epiphany was celebrated long before even
Christmas itself came to be regarded as a feast.
The word Epiphany literally means manifestation and refers to the
appearance or making known of Christ. Of course, in the beginning the
feast was about the several manifestations of Christ: his first coming
into the world, his being made known to the Shepherds, his
manifestation to the Wise Men from the East, and even the Father
announcing who he was at his Baptism by John as well as the
demonstration of his power in his First Miracle at the Marriage Feast
of Cana.
But as the Feast of Christmas and the other feasts gradually came to be
separated over time, the Epiphany centred on the manifestation of
Christ to the Wise Men—to the Gentiles.
The first sections of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke about the early
life of Christ are known as the Infancy Narratives and they have been
the subjects of a lot of scholarship over the last twenty years.
One of the results of all this research is that we now realise that
these stories can be seen as “Gospels in Miniature” because they
contain the most important elements of what comes after. They are like
the overture to a great musical piece in which the various motifs are
brought to our attention.
Here in this story of the coming of the Wise Men we see clearly a very
important element of Christ’s Mission coming in right from the start,
namely, his mission to the Gentiles.
The People of Israel were rightly known as the Chosen People because
they were the group to whom God chose to gradually reveal himself in
various ways over the centuries. The history of their relationship with
God is one of a gradual education, a slow revelation of God’s true
nature over the centuries and a growing understanding by the people of
God’s expectations for them.
They were also the race among whom Christ was born, even if only to be
ultimately rejected. This rejection is, of course, turned to the
greatest possible advantage for the whole of mankind through the great
act of salvation.
The rejection of Christ by Israel becomes the opportunity for Christ to
be revealed to all the nations and so ultimately to us today.
All this is prefigured by the visit of the Wise Men who themselves are
in a sense foretold in the old Testament scriptures. Look at today’s
first reading for example: The nations come to your light and kings to
your dawning brightness.
It was always in the understanding of the People of Israel that God had
chosen them to receive his special revelation but that in due time all
nations would bow down before the one true God. But this was not
understood as happening right away; it was rather something that would
occur when the Messiah ultimately came into his Kingdom.
They were right, of course, but their timing was wrong and they didn’t
anticipate that that they as a people would reject Christ. We say this
and yet we must acknowledge that very many individual Jews did come to
believe in Christ, and not only among the poor since some notable
religious leaders also accepted him. But institutionally speaking he
was simply rejected.
This Feast of the Epiphany achieved great importance early on in the
history of the Church surely because the many converts from paganism
saw in the story of the wise men their own story.
These wise men were guided by a star; they were led by God to the
stable in Bethlehem where they offered the Christ Child their gifts and
paid him homage.
The early converts to Christianity, like any convert today, realised
that they were guided by God and led on a journey of faith and brought
to belief in Christ. When they finally encounter him they place all
they have at his disposal and worship him as the Son of God and the one
true Saviour of the World.
They may not be rich like those Magi, but they know that they have come
to the knowledge of the greatest treasure anyone could possess—belief
in Jesus Christ.
St Paul is reflecting on the same thing in his Letter to the Ephesians
when he alludes to the well-known story of his own conversion and says
that this special revelation is what led him to preach the Good News to
them.
But don’t think it is just converts who have been chosen by God. Don’t
think it is just those who in adult life feel drawn to the Church who
are singled out by him.
Each one of us has been led by a star. Each one of us has been brought
by God to the assent of faith. It may have been because we searched as
adults and gradually found faith but it could also be because we were
brought up as Christians by our parents; that in our earliest childhood
we came to a knowledge and love of God.
Make no mistake about it we were all converts once. The gradual
realisation by a child of what faith in Christ actually means is no
less of a conversion than that of an adult in the prime of life. It is
just as genuine, just as deep, just as life changing.
Sometimes it is in our childhood that we see things most clearly. As we
grow older we do not always grow wiser; quite often the preoccupations
of raising children, maintaining our relationships and paying a
mortgage get in the way and cloud our vision.
What started off as certainly and firmness of faith can with the
vicissitudes of life easily fade away into disinterest and laxity. What
we need then is re-conversion, what we need to do is to look for that
star once more.
Let us think today about those Wise Men and about how wise they were.
They let God lead them. And their journey was not merely a journey by
land but it was also a journey of faith. And God revealed himself to
them in the person of the Child Jesus.
In one way or another the same thing has happened to each one of us.
God leads us on a journey of faith and he reveals himself to us in the
person of Jesus Christ.
But this doesn’t just happen once; no, it happens again and again in
our lives. There are a whole series of Epiphanies awaiting us if we
only co-operate with God and let him lead us.
Hidden under one form or another there is always a star glittering out
there in the darkness. If we constantly look for that star and follow
where God leads us again and again we will encounter Christ in all
sorts of different disguises until one day we meet him face to face and
the door is ultimately opened for us to live with him forever.
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Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com;
information about his book of homilies is available at www.clydebonar.com.
Epiphany |
Epiphanies Continue, God Asks Us To Make God Present
Introduction
When the Roman Catholic Church elects a new
pope, the whole world watches. How the Cardinals decide, who has
influence, who the runner-up is, all the details of the election are
secret.
In April 2005, almost three years ago, the
cardinals gathered in a conclave to elect a new pope. Pope John Paul II
had died, his pontificate of almost 27 years, the second longest in
history, was over. Everyone speculated. Who would the cardinals elect?
Would the new pope be the cardinal from Milan? Or, a cardinal from the
third world?
As the cardinals met in conclave, crowds
watched in St. Peter’s square. Finally, from the small chimney atop the
Sistine Chapel, white smoke drifted up.
Clothed in the white cassock of a pope, the
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the cardinal
from Bavaria, Joseph Ratzinger, appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s
Basilica. Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto the world stage.
Appearances
Let's talk about appearances. Sometimes it is
very easy to recognize a special person or event. Other happenings take
a long time to recognize.
Obvious appearances are at pop concerts. The
music builds up. Spot lights focus. Suddenly Rickey Martin is on stage.
Wild enthusiasm sweeps the crowd.
By contrast sometimes very few people notice a
beginning. For example, a talented youth tries out for the high school
football team. The alert coach sees potential. Carefully the coach
watches. Looks for the hard work of dedication. As the youth gains
experience, the coach encourages the young player, corrects his
mistakes. A year or two passes. Then a new season, a new star leads the
team to victory. Everyone now sees the talent that was there all along.
Or take the young man and young woman
who are attracted to each other. A hesitant boy asks a girl for a date.
Attraction grows into friendship. Love blossoms, becomes a marriage
proposal. A diamond ring makes their love known to family and friends.
Spectacular events or important people,
sometimes easy, other times more difficult to recognize. The signs of
big changes can be hard to see, or a splash may announce a big event.
Don’t Miss This Appearance
Today we celebrate the Epiphany, a special
appearance. Epiphany means the manifestation of divine glory. God
appears in the world, in the flesh of Jesus, Son of God. The Almighty
Himself breaks into the every day life of the Jewish people.
Matthew wants to make it very clear to his readers, God is among us.
Don't miss this special event. Specific details laden the Gospel. This
child is born of Mary, in Bethlehem. His name is Jesus, of the line of
David. The baby is Emmanuel, God with us. God has stepped into history.
Magi search for the infant Jesus. Astrologers
themselves, the Magi believed a new star signaled the birth of a new
king. By the Magi coming, the Gospel tells us even the Gentiles
recognized something awesome has happened.
Following the bright star from the east, the
Magi stop in Jerusalem. Why? Why not just follow the star to Bethlehem?
Because, Jesus came to fulfill the Scripture. To find the new king,
they had to consult what was written by the prophets. In Jerusalem, the
chief priests and the scribes tell the Magi, according to the prophets,
the messiah is to be born in Bethlehem.
Coming to adore the new born king, the Magi
bring gifts. Gold is offered. Gold for the One who gives the kingdom to
the poor in spirit. A gift of frankincense, an expensive perfume for
the One who tells us the meek shall inherit the earth. And as an omen
of the cruel death Jesus would suffer, the Magi present myrrh, the
traditional herb for the burial of the dead given to the One who
conquers death.
Christ is born. Matthew wants it to be very
clear. Jesus the Messiah has appeared. As the prophet Isaiah predicted,
the Epiphany is here. Matthew says: don't miss the light of God shining
in the world.
Epiphanies, and More Epiphanies
But the Magi came a long time ago. The
Christmas season ends. So we ask: how does God manifest himself now?
The answer lies in a great spiritual truth: the God we cannot see
shines through in the love of those we can see. People make God present
to other people.
A very first place to see God manifest, to
look at ourselves! You and me, we are epiphanies of God. Remember, we
were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26).
God gives us talents, puts interests within
us, guides us in our experiences. The architect designing a great
building, that’s God sparking the imagination of the architect,
prompting the architect to use his God given talents. Same with the
mechanic spotting that pesky problem with our car.
Proof that we are epiphanies of God comes from
the total enjoyment we get as we use our talents, follow our interests.
When we feel comfortable, at home with ourselves, we know we are living
out the image of God we are. We are epiphanies of God.
Do you doubt that? Read this verse in the
Psalms (127:1): "If Yahweh does not build a house, in vain do its
builders toil." God gets things done, God manifests himself through us.
A second way God manifests himself is in our
prayer. A Carmelite friary constructed an outdoor Rosary. Each mystery
depicted by a beautiful sculpture. The fifteen decades surround a
garden. Roses decorate the sculptures, yellow for the Joyful Mysteries,
red for the Sorrowful Mysteries, white for the Glorious Mysteries.
Simply lovely.
Praying the outdoor Rosary begins with the
Joyful Mysteries. Then, the Sorrowful. For the five decades of the
Sorrowful Mysteries we climb a small hill, until we reach at the summit
of the hill a Cross with the crucified Christ on it. Continuing on, we
meditate on the Glorious Mysteries. As we complete the Rosary, we feel
like we have been with Christ from the annunciation of his birth,
walked the way of Calvary with Jesus, and witnessed his resurrection. A
close moment, God manifesting himself in prayer.
One more way God manifests himself to us, in
our ministry. One evening the call came while I was meeting with my
spiritual direction group. An awkward time. But even as I thought of
the interruption, God pinched my conscience and told me, "Go to the
hospital, go now."
The lady was dying. No family was there, and
the lady seemed very agitated. I anointed her, spoke the words of
Apostolic Absolution, and gave her Holy Communion. Then, I started to
pray the Hail Mary. The lady became more and more calm. I looked at
her, and in her face saw God manifest. The suffering Christ, a lady who
had known the pains of life; and the peaceful face of a devout lady,
who had also known joys and wonderful times, a women who knew God and
knew that God loves her. In my ministry, this lady in the hospital made
God manifest.
And that is the great spiritual truth. The God
we cannot see shines forth in us and in those about us. God continues
to manifest himself to this day. By us living out the image of God we
are, by a closeness in prayer, and in our ministry. The Epiphany
continues.
Conclusion
In 1895 Henry van Dyke wrote the "Story of the
Other Wise Man."1 A fourth Magi called Artaban. Our hero is not
mentioned in the Gospel because he missed the caravan. Got to Bethlehem
too late to see the baby Jesus. But Artaban did make it in time to save
one of the Holy Innocents by bribing a soldier. For 33 years Artaban
searches for Jesus. Doesn't find him. But all the while the Fourth Magi
feeds the hungry, helps the poor. Then one day in Jerusalem Artaban
sees the "King of the Jews" being crucified. He starts to offer a pearl
as ransom. But he sees a girl being sold into slavery to pay family
debts. Artaban gives his pearl to buy freedom for the girl. Suddenly
the earth quakes and a stone strikes Artaban. Dying he hears a voice
say: "When you helped the least of my children, you helped me." Artaban
had been making God present for years by helping others.
The Fourth Magi, not mentioned in the Gospel.
God asks each of us to be a fourth Magi. God asks us to make God's love
present in the world.
P. S.My homilies are now available collected into one volume --
go to www.clydebonar.com .
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use; however, they may
not be
commercially published without permission of the author.
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