EPIPHANY 2019
“When Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold magi from the
East arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews
saying, ‘we saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’”
In celebrating the Feast
of the Epiphany, may the story of the Epiphany be our story as well. Who today are the contemporary magi who come to St.
Joseph’s Church seeking to discover the Christ child?
The magi symbolize what is restless in the human spirit seeking
for a greater depth of meaning and purpose in life. They left behind what was comfortable and
safe and took considerable risk in traveling to another country in search of
the Lord. The magi speak to our restless
human spirit seeking to discover the spiritual meaning and longing for that
which ultimately satisfies us.
Today, the story of the Magi remind us that Emmanuel is still
waiting to be discovered in what we might think are the most unlikely places
and by the most unlikely people. It is highly improbable that a band of gypsies
or a group of Muslims is going to show up at the doors of St. Joseph’s. At the same time, there are serious seekers,
contemporary magi, all around us. They are young people who are consciously
hungry for a spiritual nourishment that they have not found in our churches and
catechisms. They are women, young and old, who feel they have been treated like
unwelcome outsiders when they come to the temple to offer their gifts. They are
the more than 10 percent of the U.S. population who identify as “former
Catholics,” not necessarily because they lack faith, but because they have been
injured, feel rejected or believe that the church has so betrayed her vocation
that their conscience does not allow them to participate in it. These are the people whose sincere seeking,
like that of the Magi, can be a wake-up call to those practicing in the church.
As we begin our new year, today’s liturgy urges us to listen
to the seekers who want more than they have found in conventional religion.
Their searching reminds us that God is bigger than any ritual or tradition and
is always waiting to encounter us anew, somewhere beyond our expectations.
Here at St. Joseph’s instead of just lamenting that our young
people are not at Mass Sunday after
Sunday, we the parishioners of St. Joseph’s need to ask ourselves how in our
liturgies can we provide the spiritual nourishment young people are looking
for. Does the way we teach our young
people the truths of our faith witness to the merciful, forgiving love of Jesus
that is to the heart of the Gospel? We need to listen more
attentively to our young people as they describe their spiritual hunger.
For the women of our parish and in our community, are we a
Church that welcomes their voice, their talents, their leadership in our parish
life? Are the women who are the
contemporary magi able to discover the presence of Christ in our parish
community? What more needs to be done
for women to find a spiritual home here at St. Joseph’s?
What words of welcome do we provide for former Catholics who
for one reason or another did not experience the voice of Christ in our parish
life? May the seekers in our community
who are the contemporary magi discover the Christ child in our parish prayer
and in our ministries. What needs to
change in our parish life to enable the contemporary magi discover the God they
are seeking?
Notice the stark contrast between the Magi and
King Herod in the
Epiphany Gospel. Herod sees the promised child as a threat.
He's afraid the coming baby will crimp his style, will challenge his power and
lower his status.
The
Magi see the promised child as wonderful gift. They've humbled themselves to
travel a great distance to a strange culture that speaks a
different language, in order to embrace this baby who fulfills God's love.
Herod's
selfishness, fueled by his fears leads to his downfall. The Magi's worship of the Christ child leads
to the salvation of all the nations. Today more
than 2 billion people call themselves Christians, in some way
the result of the humility and the seeking spirit of the Magi.
The role of King Herod in the Epiphany
story symbolizes for us is that we need to expect opposition in the spiritual
journey at times. We see the hostility
of King Herod to the notion that he would have a rival to his kingship. Moved by jealousy, he hatched a murderous
plot that was foiled by the non-cooperation of the magi.
Before we simply reject the treachery of
Herod, we need to acknowledge that there is a Herod within each of us that
keeps from following Christ more fully.
What are the demons within us that make more self-centered than
Christ-centered? How radically do I
share with those in need? What keeps me
from listening more fully to another’s point of view? Do I make time for God in the way that I
live?
Notice well, the magi were warned in a
dream not to return to Herod, and they departed for their country by another
way. Of course, they would return by
another route. Their lives have been
changed by their encounter with Jesus.
May we too with God’s grace have our lives changed by our encounter with
Jesus. We cannot go back to our old way
of living -- with our fears, our anxieties, our addictions, our grudges, our
pettiness. We are to put on the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The readings for the feast of the Epiphany
invite us to begin this new year by asking with whom in today’s Gospel we will
decide to identify. Will we choose to settle as a sedentary church, quiet in the
face of darkness, contented with the minimal ritual and almsgiving that
supposedly fulfill our religious obligations? Or do we want to be more like the
Magi, people anxious to be on the move in search of God among us? Isaiah is
trying to awaken us to what God holds out as possible for us. Paul tells us
that we are to steward this mystery. Matthew holds up the example of the Magi
to nudge us out of our cozy corners and into areas where we can encounter
Emmanuel, God-with-us, in ever new ways.
church
Have a Blessed Day.
