THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
3 JANUARY 2021
When
the Prophet Isaiah writes to his people, he knows that they are in a very dark
place. Their excitement about being
freed from captivity in Babylon has vanished.
Instead, they find themselves in the ruins of the temple and Jerusalem
on Mount Zion with an impossible task of rebuilding. In the midst of this darkness, Isaiah tells
them to rise up in splendor. “Your light
has come,” he tells them, “and the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” He says that this light of God’s presence is
not confined to the residents of Jerusalem and Judah alone. This light will be manifested as a beacon to
draw all people to emerge from the thick clouds that cover them and be drawn to
God’s presence in his temple and in his holy city.
Saint
Matthew sees this promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. Like a shining star, his birth brings light
to a people dwelling in the darkness of a harsh Roman occupation. They have to endure the cruel rule of the
narcissistic King Herod whose insecurity brings him to eliminate anyone whom he
perceives to be a threat to him (even his children). The dynasty of David has disappeared long ago. Their hopes for a new messiah in his lineage
have been plunged into darkness.
The light
of the Savior’s birth draws pagan astrologers from the east to Jerusalem, much
as Isaiah had promised. Ironically,
those who are blessed with revelation from Sacred Scripture choose to ignore
this manifestation of the Lord’s glory.
King Herod is threatened by the news of a new born king and sends the
magi to find the child so that he can kill him.
Herod sets the tone in Matthew’s Gospel with so many religious
authorities turning against Jesus, while pagans and foreigners are drawn to him.
Saint Peter
Chrysologus, the fifth century Bishop of Ravenna, says best what they
find: “Today the Magi find crying in a
manger the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. Today the Magi see clearly, in swaddling
clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars. Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what
they have seen: heaven on earth, earth
in heaven, man in God, God in man, and one whom the whole universe cannot
contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As
they look, they believe and do not question, as their symbolic gifts bear
witness: incense for God, gold for a
king, myrrh for one who is to die.”
Saint Matthew tells us that they departed for their country by another
way, indicating that they have been transformed by this manifestation of the
Lord’s presence.
The Magi
teach us how to recognize the manifestation of the Lord today. In the Eucharist, we see with the eyes of our
bodies what appears to be only bread and wine.
But we know through the eyes of faith that this is the very body and
blood of the Lord. Like the Magi, we
kneel before this real presence and bring our own gifts – not gold and
frankincense and myrrh, but the gifts of our hearts in praise and thanksgiving.
Formed by
this manifestation of the Lord’s presence, we can recognize how the Lord
manifests himself to us, even in the darkness of this strange last year and in
this New Year. The Lord manifests
himself in ways that we might expect, and also in ways that will surprise
us. Because everyone in my immediate family
could not gather this year, our seminarians living with us in the rectory
clearly manifested the Lord’s presence and hope to Fr. Mike, Fr. Nathan, and
me. Even though they are on break, they
have given themselves in humble service to the parish. They have prayed with us, cooked with us, and
laughed together with us. We have become
radiant in what we are seeing. Be sure
to look around and see similar manifestations in your own lives, especially if
you have not expected them.
No comments:
Post a Comment