Having an Epiphany
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| Murillo's Magi |
There
are all kinds of predictions for the new year of 2016.
In
fact, the Bible is full of predictions.
The
Word of God from Isaiah takes us back to the 6th
century before Jesus. The author predicts a
divine light will emanate from this new Jerusalem
and all people, Jews as well as non-Jews, will acknowledge and walk
by this light.
Christians
of course see Jesus as this light who illumines darkness, who
shows human beings the ultimate purpose of life:
to be in relationship with God, to manifest the glory or presence of
God in our everyday attitudes and behaviors.
The
letter of Paul to the Christian community in Ephesus, Turkey, speaks
about our future: all of us are coheirs
to God’s promise of eternal life,
co-workers in bringing about the kingdom of God, a kingdom of truth and justice and peace and freedom.
And
in the Gospel according to Matthew, we have all the ingredients of a
great mystery novel: exotic
visitors, a wicked king, court intrigue, a mysterious star, precious
gifts and a new child, the Word made flesh.
Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the
Epiphany,
the showing of the child Jesus to the magi: gentiles, non-Jews, who
came from far, far away, guided by a
mysterious star and a
sudden illumination of wisdom, to pay
homage to this Jewish child named Jesus. Yes, Jesus is for all
people.
To
“have an epiphany” – a manifestation of a divine or
supernatural being -- is a popular phrase.
I
was with family in New York last week and we talked about the
Epiphany. My sister commented: If the wise men had been wise women,
they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the
baby, cleaned the stable, and made a casserole and brought practical
gifts.
I
like the significance of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gold can symbolize royalty (the coin of this Child’s heavenly realm
are compassion, forgiveness and peace); Frankincense with its
fragrance and medicinal magic can bring healing
(and this Child came to heal our wounds and bridge the chasm that
separate us from God and one another); and myrrh or ointment can
symbolize a burial embalmment (through his death/resurrection, Jesus
eventually made us co-heirs to God’s promise of eternal life).
The
early Christian community named him the Messiah, the
anointed one. Jesus taught that God
is our Father, a compassionate God, always near us
at the start of each day to guide us.
So
as we begin this new year, I invite all of us to experience an
epiphany: to ask Christ to grace us
anew. Let us grow
ever more deeply in our relationship with God and manifest ever more
clearly the glory of God in our everyday
attitudes and behaviors.
