EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - 1/8/2023

Choosing our Life Path – Feast of Epiphany
Today we keep the feast of Epiphany. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, a verb that means “to shine upon,” “to manifest,” or “to make known.” Thus, the feast of the Epiphany celebrates the many ways that Christ has made Himself known to the world. The feast originated in the East. Three events that manifested the mission and divinity of Christ were celebrated together in this feast: the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11). In the western church, Epiphany Day is known as the Feast of the visit of the Magi. Magi itself is a Greek word which means wise Men.

     The feast of Epiphany has the makings of high drama with a story line of adventure, search, danger, a king who is a villain, a child’s life in danger. Epiphany’s conflicts are boldly drawn. Light fights night through the mystery of a bright star. The joy of discovery ends long wandering. Truth foils deception. Looking into our own personal lives, this story tells the truth of our own quest for meaning. The Magi symbolize our noblest human efforts. We long for the discovery of truth and are happy to worship when we come before the Divine. Yet there is a part of us that fears like Herod. Like him, we are threatened by the child, this defenseless babe, who has no power, other than the strength to engage our hope. This attitude makes us look to the inconvenience of accepting a future with this child as king, a danger to our own ambitions. Our unbridled quest for selfish power weaves plans of violence and murder!
 The story of the Magi still intrigues us to this day. They are called the wise men and yet we wonder if the gifts were appropriate for a young family with a newborn child! The second century writer, Irenaeus of Lyon, gave the most likely interpretation: the gifts signify Jesus’ kingship, his Godhead, and his sacrificial death. It is no surprise that gold, the most precious of metals, symbolizes royalty. Frankincense, an aromatic substance brought from faraway Nubia, was burned before the Holy of Holies. It signifies Jesus’ divine nature. Myrrh, also brought from Africa, formed part of a preservative ointment. It represents Jesus’ sacrificial death. The gifts of the Magi invite us to reflect deeper at this event of God entering our human experience in a form and manner to lift us to a higher way of living, to make us divine. Like the Magi we need to fan the flame of love of God in our hearts to journey on in life. This consciousness can lead us away from the powerful forces that are evil, driven solely by greed and selfishness to a different path to break the good news to a needy world.

Fr. Tom Kunnel C.O.