06 January, 2019. The Epiphany of the Lord
Prayer (ICEL 1998)
Lord God of the nations,
we have seen the star of your glory
rising in splendour.
The radiance of your incarnate Word
pierces the darkness that covers the earth
and signals the dawn of peace and justice.
Make radiant the lives of your people
with that same brightness,
and beckon all the nations
to walk as one in your light.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever.
1st Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
In those days the Messiah will reveal his glory to all the nations
Arise, shine; 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.
Responsorial: Psalm 147: 12-15, 19-20
Response: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Sion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
2nd Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6
Christ is here to save all people, without racial distinction
Surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi’s visit shows the light of Christ for all the nations
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
May your words, O Lord, be in my thoughts, on my lips, and in my heart. May they guide my life and keep me near to you.
Imaginative story-telling
The stories about Jesus’ childhood are closely linked to some well-known Old Testament stories. The Evangelists Matthew and Luke use these re-written narratives to explore the identity of Jesus. This literary device seems strange to us, as not being real history at all, but for the original hearers and readers, the Jewish Christians, these biblical resonances gave these stories encouraging and devotional meaning for their faith. We can note three points in particular:
1) The gifts brought by the Magi call to mind a universalist text in Isaiah: “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.” (Is 60:6) It was concluded from this text as well that the mode of transport of the magi was camels, although Matt supplies no such detail.
2) The Magi themselves, symbolising the Gentiles, are an echo in Psalm 72: “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. May all kings fall down before him…” From this reference, it was deduces that the magi were kings. Eventually they were given names – Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar.
3) Bethlehem, the city of David, is often mentioned in the Old Testament, unlike Nazareth. One mention of it was, at the time, read as a messianic prophecy. “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth the one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” (Mic 5:2)
Presents and Presence
Over the Christmas period we give presents to different people and they give presents to us. What’s all this gifting about? Its roots lie in the story of the wise men who, on arriving at the stable in Bethlehem, fell on their knees and offered their best gifts to the baby who was born to be king.
Christmas can be more than just the season for exchanging presents. Even more, it’s a time for being present, i.e. sharing ourselves with others, showing them warmth, affection and sincerity. The sharing of our personal presence is vital. Our practical gift-giving may be superficial, going through the motions, more a way of keeping the peace than of being really present. Our gift-giving can be shallow or hollow, it it is not an expression of personal love.
The Magi were generous and sincere visitors, whose gifts expressed reverence, gratitude and love for the child in the manger. Their gifts were given with no conditions attached and no mixed motives. The mixed motives in our own gift-giving may make us feel that the commercialisation of Christmas should be restrained and restricted, if not eliminated altogether.
Still, the consumerism of Christmas is somewhat necessary. If it became a completely spiritual celebration, hundreds of small businesses would go to the wall. Thousands of factory workers making bon-bons, trees, chocolates, decorations, cards and toys, would find themselves unemployed.Also, if people did not buy gifts to family and friends at Christmas, their consciences might not be stirred to make donations to the poor and needy at this special time of giving and sharing.
So, whatever the imperfections of our gift-giving, it’s worth keeping the practice alive while avoiding its excesses. It’s particularly important to the lives of children. The good news is that while they are attracted to receiving e.g., a gift of an I-pad or of shiny new roller-blades, they are also attracted to the Crib and to the story of the baby lying there clothed in rags. Their hearts are touched by the plight of his parents who are so poor that they can offer him nothing but their protection and affection.
Children very easily get the message that this is a story of love. They appreciate the humanity of the Holy Family, their struggles and their sacrifices, to bring to the human race the Light of the Nations. The Wise Men visiting the manger is a story of giving and receiving. It shows how gifts express love between persons, and of how gifts given with love bind people together. It is not simply a giving of things (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) but a mutual giving of persons, being present to the other.
At Epiphany we are celebrating the greatest proof of goodness in our world, of God’s personal love for each of us. It was an act of love when the Father gave us the Son, to be our Light, our Saviour, our King and our Joy. This great gift is nothing less than the divine presence in our lives. The poet John Betjeman describes it as:
A present that cannot be priced
Given two thousand years ago.
Yet if God had not given so
He still would be a distant stranger
And not the Baby in the manger.
Guided by the stars
It seems most likely that Jesus was in fact born in Bethlehem. But fixing the date of his birth is quite another matter, not even the year, let alone the day or the month. A slim clue may lie in today’s story about the star that led the way to him. The part of the Infancy Narrative one might be most tempted to discard as fairy-tale can also be highly meaningful. Whatever else has changed since Christ was born, the sky at night remains the same. Star-gazers today can follow the same star the Wise Men followed.
Christian tradition has opted for three as the number of the Wise Men and has given them the exotic names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. We may imagine that they travelled from Persia or South Arabia, though Matthew simply indicates that they came from the East. The gospel leaves no doubt that they were men of conviction, with enquiring minds and adventuresome spirit; in a word, intellectuals.
Our church’s leaders have often not shown such welcome to intellectuals as did Mary and Joseph, in allowing the Magi to visit the child Jesus. No church or religion can flourish if it does not cherish specially its poets, writers and thinkers. The true church in the world is an island of saints and scholars. Stars reveal their secrets to dreamers. The searching of the Wise Men is a fine illustration of the Latin adage for theology, fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding). The message for us is clear: if there is to be any epiphany in our lives we will need our heads as well as our hearts. We can ill-afford to ignore the insights of questing intellectuals.
Learn from the Magi
(Epiphany reflection by pope Francis, in his Apostolic Letter Admirabile Signum, on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene)
At the feast of Epiphany we place the statues of the Three Kings in the Christmas crèche. Observing the star, those wise men from the East set out for Bethlehem, in order to find Jesus and to offer him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These costly gifts have an allegorical meaning: gold honours Jesus’ kingship, incense his divinity, myrrh his sacred humanity that was to experience death and burial.
As we contemplate this aspect of the nativity scene, we are called to reflect on the responsibility of every Christian to spread the Gospel. Each of us is called to bear glad tidings to all, testifying by our practical works of mercy to the joy of knowing Jesus and his love.
The Magi teach us that people can come to Christ by a very long route. Men of wealth, sages from afar, thirsting for the infinite, they set out on the long and perilous journey that would lead them to Bethlehem (cf. Mt 2:1-12). Great joy comes over them in the presence of the Infant King. They are not scandalized by the poor surroundings, but immediately fall to their knees to worship him. Kneeling before him, they understand that the God who with sovereign wisdom guides the course of the stars also guides the course of history, casting down the mighty and raising up the lowly. Upon their return home, they would certainly have told others of this amazing encounter with the Messiah, thus initiating the spread of the Gospel among the nations.
THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
OH WHAT A WONDERFUL MORNING.
It is a great and lovely Celebration. It deserves to be properly marked. It should be celebrated at the weekend. It is too important to be wasted on a Holyday (which is usually irrelevant these times). The danger so often in religious matters is that we can sentimentalise religion. We can get emotional over a baby and even admire these wandering kings who are wise (especially on camels with exotic gifts) or the notion of a star. But the reality behind the story is much more dangerous and demanding. The Epiphany challenges us with questions. It asks us to live and learn. It demands that we reach out and cope with new situations and new people and a new culture. We are missionaries in our own country. There is no hiding in the past or doing things as we used to do them or hankering after wishful nostalgia or dreaming of how good things used to be, in the old days.
INSTANT GRATIFICATION:
We are asked: Lift your eyes; look around. (Isaiah) I am always amused when people don’t come to Mass for such reasons as: it is ‘boring’ or ‘too long’ or there is ‘too much talking.’ But Mass is never something passive. It has to be worked at. It has to be prepared. Everyone has to take part. It deserves respect. Many are excellent in their preparation. So few however come prepared anywhere. They are splashed with words and more words. (Too many/too formal/too passive). But it is the work with the ‘Book’ that matters. God speaking into our lives. The most dangerous thought I have in regard to Eucharist is this one: Have we in our present –day- culture, lost our sense of gratitude? Or do we expect everything to be done for us? Entitlement is a major issue presently. Some even see the millennials for this outlook. I don’t think it is just those youngsters only. Many don’t bother thinking. About anything. About God. About life. About the big questions. Today is enough. We are awash with triviality and superficiality. I believe Mrs Brown’s Boys had the greatest audience (here/UK)! And certainly, our faith too can be overwhelmed with ritual and we can expect to live off the past rather than dig deep into the present and its questions. We have mucked up Liturgy by stupidly killing it with clumsy language and clericalising it.
GROWN -UP FAITH:
Mass (life/Faith) demands reflection on gratitude to God and a real sense of wonder. A lovely line on our PowerPoint for the Feast of the Holy Family was: ‘I searched for God in the heavens and
found he had fallen to the earth.’ (There was leaf blowing in the wind). That line was concluded by saying: ‘I found ‘him’ in my family and friends.’ We cannot arrive and expect entertainment at Mass or anywhere. We cannot expect God to reach our innards at Mass; if we don’t bother with God outside of Mass. God doesn’t impose on us if we have lost our sight in seeing beauty. Awe and holiness go together. If we don’t prepare the Readings and immerse ourselves completely in the Mass and take part in the Communion of the Community – we are acting like sulky children. The Epiphany is about a grown up adult faith or rather a grown up Community which is searching. Scripture courses; Pathways Course; our struggling at Mass to share, is at the heart of the Celebration of the Epiphany. We should thank everyone who challenges us.
RTE EMOTES:
These too are interesting days. Gay Byrne dies. RTE rolls out a Late Late Show. It was well done. Gay was the right person in the right place at the right time. He captured the zeitgeist. Brendan Grace died. And there was a Show. That too was a fine celebration of a life. His comedy stirred our spirits. Niall Toibin died. Niall was rather edgy but a summary of his life appeared. His ability to loiter on the periphery was enlightening. Marion Finucane died and RTE emoted. The gush is like a tsunami. I don’t know much about her. The new Saints are canonised by acclamation. Part of the sainthood was due to their ability to undermine and sometimes demolish the shibboleths of Religion. Much of that deserved the demolition squad. But Epiphany tells us or demands from us – the confidence to handle the questions; to fight the battles; to be bold and outspoken; to ask the real questions; to deal with cheap observations; to lift our thinking beyond the immediate. Dawkins has made a fine living on presenting a summary of faith that is a caricature of religion. That too is fine. Comment programmes can do likewise. Where are the strong people of faith who can speak up and speak out? Those are the wise (women) (men) of the Feast. That Feast has to go on. That Star still shines. We should become much more outrageous. We are too mealy-mouthed. It is time to show off. And to be fearless. Our attitude should be that we don’t care about any negative comment. We care too much to be bothered or put off. Our ‘old religion’ has to challenge the ‘new religion’ shown off by many of the icons of the TV
Seamus Ahearne osa.