Epiphany

Epiphany Year A – 6^th January, 2008. 

 

Whenever I read this gospel passage…   I can’t help but be struck by the disturbing irony in it…..    King Herod summons the Wise men from the East…  they come to listen to him…. they don’t know him,….. they know he is a King… they would probably assume he was a noble and gracious King…. but he is not… he is filled with hatred  and jealousy…. and murderous intentions…. herod manages to control his emotions while he is consulting with the Wise men….. he seems genuinely interested in the Star, and the possibility of a king being born………  I almost imagine he is choking on his words when he says…  “when you find him,,, tell me too…  because I too want to go and …..   do….. him……… ‘homage’…… “ (more like ‘do him in’ !!!). Herod wants nothing more than to Kill Jesus ! he is a liar !    He wants to tear down, not to build up ! …. to destroy and blot the ‘Light for all nations’…..  Can there be any hatred greater than  one that wants to blot out HOPE from the earth……??  It is fitting that the Wise Men, after having met Jesus, ‘go home by another road’ – they have been converted… they are different….  changed……. converted….   They will not go and tell hateful Herod about what they have seen… but go home by a new pathway….   (their lives changed) to live the new reality of what they have experienced……

 

In the gospel today, the Wise Men from the East ultimately FIND the King for whom they had searched so diligently ……..   Jesus ! ….   a humble baby lying in the manger… is found to be the revelation of God to the world…….  the LIGHT of revelation for all.

 

The gospel today uses the quote from Micah…. “you Bethlehem are by no means the LEAST”…. this is really important……    not only is Bethlehem FAR FROM BEING the LEAST of all cities… but this humble baby in a humble manger is not by any means the LEAST of all babies….  and the shepherds are not anywhere near the least of all people……   there is more than one REVELATION going on here (for the eyes of faith to see!)…   The message is repeated in later sections of Matthew’s gospel: (The wise men, and us too…  are being shown something deeply important…..) 

….. at first sight, the ‘poor and forgotten’ of our society are insignificant….  but this is WRONG….  they are in fact GREAT… because it is THROUGH THEM.. that that the Lord is coming to us…….   

 

The reaction of the Magi is interesting too……    when they enter the presence of God…  revealed in his humble baby in a manger… they immediately open up treasures chests filled with gifts…… 

 

this must be our reaction too, in the presence of God…..    when we come before the presence of Jesus… we too must open up our hearts and offer God our gifts……   the response of a person to the revelation of God’s presence is one of openness, generosity and service………   

 

The Magi… offered Jesus gifts of Gold (for Kingship), Frankinsense (acknowledging Jesus as Priest and sacrifice) and Myrrh (for burial- looking to the eventual death of the Lord on the Cross)…….  we too come before Jesus and we too offer our gifts to the Lord…..  what is it that WE are laying before the Lord…….   let us think about what gifts we are presenting to Jesus for him to make use of…….

 

let us take some time, at the start of this new year… to come into the presence of Jesus……   the Light to all nations….. and think about what gift (individual to each of us)……that we are called upon to present before the Lord …..for the Lord to use and transform….. that great first reading, from Isaiah, also shows something interesting…  ‘what is our response to seeing the revelation of Christ… who is a light shining in the darkness of the world……”…  our response must be this… “arise…  shine… for your light has come,.. and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us…”….   so when we encounter Christ..  we must become lights ourself….  going out… to radiate Christ’s light to everyone  we meet……   

 

this message reminds us…  ‘we must believe so that the world can begin to believe’   -  WE must radiate christ’s light to the world.. and to all peoples…. so that people can experience Christ’s light shining through us too….

 

Today…  we kneel before the Christ child…  we bow… and we open up our treasure box… what gift is it that we lay before our Lord…???? 

(Reflection:  Paul Kelly/ ; also Mark Link: Vision – Year A/ ; Gustavo Gutiererez: Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year / ; and Abbot’s homily: http://www.christdesert.org/)/