January 6th 2016 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.  

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.  

Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.  

A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Isaiah 60:1-6

On January 6th in Ireland we celebrate Epiphany which is feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. On this feast, Western Christians commemorate principally the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles; Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. It is also called Theophany, especially by Eastern Christians.

St Matthew tells us (2:1-12) that Wise Men came from out of the east seeking the new born child as the Messiah of the whole world not just for the people of Israel. Their homage to him upon locating him in Bethlehem is representative of the whole world who adore the Holy Child and recognise his Divine Kingship, he who is the Light of the World.

"They set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

The feast of the Epiphany in the latin tradition focuses on the manifestation or showing of the Child Jesus to the Magi or Wise men who have come to seek the new King of the Jews. The three wisdom seekers represent the gentiles; those outside the covenanted community of Israel to whom the Messiah will also come. Where the shepherds represented the Chosen People, the three magi represent all those who truly search and seek for God in our world even if from out side our community and experiences. The questions this familiar part of the Christmas narrative can pose to us include:

• What "star" do I follow in my life? Do I follow the Morning Star which is Christ or do I have other things I follow?
• Am I open to seeing the Divine in others even if they are different from me?
• Like the Wise men, am I willing to trust in God and go where She leads me, even if it means travelling far (literally or metaphorically), believing that God will be "my staff and my shield"?

But like the shepherds, the three magi did not stay in Bethlehem, they had to go back out into the world, back to their homes and families and daily lives; just like we have to. But they took the message of what they had seen and heard with them. Epiphany demands that like these kings we should return to our own countries a different way, carrying to all those we meet the light of Christ. "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth," says the Epistle of the Epiphany Mass, "and a mist the people: but the Lord shall arise upon Thee, and His glory shall be seen upon Thee. And the Gentiles shall walk in Thy light..." These words may be applied to us, upon whom the light of Christ has indeed risen, and who have the responsibility to radiate that light in the darkness of our own world. It is clear how much the feast of Epiphany must mean to all who are engaged in the apostolate and are striving to extend the kingdom of Christ.
 
Reflections and thoughts for the feast:

• Churchyear - Epiphany
• iBenedictines - Epiphany 2015
• Epiphany: What you seek is seeking you
• 10 Things You Might Not Have Known About the Feast of the Epiphany - How to celebrate Twelfth Night right this year
• Chalking the Door: Blessing Your Home for Epiphany
• Epiphany: a Way of Life
• Walking with the Wise – A Homily for Epiphany
• From Magi to Wise Men - Msgr Charles Pope
• Gifts for a King - Jericho Tree
• Epiphany: The Public Revelation of the Savior of the World - Cardinal Wurl
• Solemnity of the Epiphany: Home By Another Way - Salt + Light
• Epiphany - Communio

Journey Of The Magi by T. S. Eliot

'A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worst time of the year

For a journey, and such a journey:

The ways deep and the weather sharp,

The very dead of winter.'

And the camels galled, sore-footed,

refractory,

Lying down in the melting snow.

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on slopes, the

terraces,

And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

 

Then the camel men cursing and

grumbling

And running away, and wanting their

liquor and women,

And the night-fires going out, and the

lack of shelters,

And the cities hostile and the towns

unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high

prices:

A hard time we had of it.

At the end we preferred to travel all

night,

Sleeping in snatches,

With the voices singing in our ears,

saying

That this was all folly.

 

Then at dawn we came down to a

temperate valley,

Wet, below the snow line, smelling of

vegetation;

With a running stream and a water-mill

beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky,

And an old white horse galloped in

away in the meadow.

Then we came to a tavern with

vine-leaves over the lintel,

Six hands at an open door dicing for

pieces of silver,

And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.

But there was no imformation, and so

we continued

And arrived at evening, not a moment

too soon

Finding the place; it was (you may say)

satisfactory.

 

All this was a long time ago, I

remember,

And I would do it again, but set down

This set down

This: were we led all that way for

Birth or Death? There was a Birth,

certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt. I had

seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different;

this Birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like

Death, our death.

We returned to our places, these

Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old

dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their

gods.

I should be glad of another death.

Gospel - Matthew 2:1-12

Reading 1 - Isaiah 60:1-6

Psalm - Psalm 72:1-13

Reading 2 - Ephesians 3:2-6

Gospel - Matthew 2:1-12
 

Reflections on the gospel:

English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections