Homily for the Feast of the Epiphany
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The word “Epiphany” has its roots in a Greek word which describes an event which makes+ visible+ present+ available…+ a truth+ a reality+ a person…
which was previously
+ hidden+ unknown+ misunderstoodOur Lord had several epiphanies, events in which His divinity was made manifest:+ Baptism+ Transfiguration+ The Wedding Feast at Cana…… and, of course, His epiphany with the Three Kings which we celebrate today.Taking a look at this event unfolding, our Gospel passage is replete with several elements which make for good story-telling:+ an innocent Babe+ a wicked king+ a star in the heavens+ mysterious travelers from exotic lands…… all of which speak not only to our imagination but to our faith, because we hear today not legend, but Gospel.I would like us to look at a particular, but essential element in the story: the responses of the major players:+ the Three Kings+ the wicked King, HerodTheir responses differ widely because they are based in the interior disposition of the responders:+ humility based in wisdom for the Three Kings+ treachery based in cynicism for King Herod.So, first: the Three KingsIdentifying these characters can be a challenge, introduced to us, as they have been, variously as:+ Kings+ Magi - astronomers+ Wise MenAt any rate, we know that they were not simpletons: They were open to something magnificent and otherworldly. They were courageous enough to stake their lives, or at least their well-being, on what they saw, embarking on a long and arduous journey. When they arrived at their destination: that is, a person rather than a place, they were willing to hand over their lives, symbolized in their gift-giving, to whomever they would find at the completion of their search.Their openness, courage, and generosity would ultimately bring them to humility before God in the person of the Christ Child: Our Gospel has them not simply bowing in the presence of an unknown King; they adopt a gesture of complete humility, as Saint Matthew points out: “they prostrated themselves,” lying flat upon the ground in the unexpected Presence of God.This gesture of complete humility takes place in Catholic worship on only two occasions: at the beginning of the Good Friday Service as the Priest lies silently on the floor in anticipation of the proclamation of the Lords’ Passion, and at the Ordination of a Priest, as he lies prostrate while the congregation prays over him, the Litany of the Saints.Only from a posture of humility can a person, as Isaiah instructs, “Raise your eyes.” Otherwise, a lack of humility could cause a person to “look down” on others. It is in this humility that the Three Kings make an act of self-giving — even self-sacrifice — accepting immediately the Christ Child’s Kingship and dominion over them.Much has been written about the significance of the Gifts: stated simply, they reveal the three-fold nature of Christ’s human persona as Priest, Prophet, and King:+ Gold for His royal status…+ Incense as a symbol of His priestly worship…+ Myrrh, which was used in the preparation of a bodyfor burial, prophesying His salvific Death on the Cross.But there is more revealed in the moment than the symbolism of the Gifts: It is the very act of giving as surrender, not simply one king to another, saying, “Welcome to the club.” It is, instead, a handing-over of their kingship to Christ. He would now be their King.How can we, then, follow their example? What do you give the Man who has everything? In her poem “In the Bleak Midwinter,” British poetess Christina Rossetti writes, in the last stanza:“What can I give Him, poor as I am?If I were a shepherd, I’d bring a lamb.If I were a Wise Man, I’d do my part,Yet, what I can, I give Him… give Him my heart.”A lovely sentiment, but the thought is taken further in the autobiography of Saint Jerome: In a Vision he experienced, Christ appeared to Jerome requesting a gift. Jerome responds: my studies? my writings? my fasting? my prayer? Jesus says to him, “Give me your sins.”And now to King HerodWhere the wisdom of the Three Kings will lead them to search for Christ in humility, the cynical, calculating mind of Herod will lead him to the treachery in which he, too, searches for Christ, but in order to eliminate Christ as a threat to his own sovereignty.Here was a man so arrogant and self-centered that he was completely unaware of the Star right above his head. So absorbed in himself, he would not, as Isaiah suggested, “Raise [his] eyes and look about…” which would indicate not only a lack of humility, but a lack of true self-knowledge, which would surface within him as a lack of faith.He lived in an Age of Skepticism, brought about by the pagan influence of the Roman Empire. Herod, a Jew, who should have been longing for the Messiah, had so accommodated himself to the secular thought and lifestyle of the Romas that he no longer looked for the coming of the Messiah, but would seek to be rid of Him when He arrives. Saint Matthew tells us that when Herod heard about the newborn King of the Jews, “he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”This sounds rather like our world today. A secular society will be deeply troubled at the thought of the Presence or Coming of God, or even at the thought of the presence of people of faith among them, living by faith values.We, too live in an Age of Skepticism in which we are influenced by a different star: that of technology. I don’t mean to suggest that technology is intrinsically evil, but it can have a deadening effect on the human spirit, and can be used for evil purposes.The late Pope Benedict raises a question about this in his book: “The Blessings of Christmas.” He writes, “Scientists tell us that the dinosaurs died out because they developed in the wrong direction: a lot of armor plating, but not much brain; a lot of muscle, but not much understanding. Are not we, too, developing in the wrong direction: a lot of technology, but not much soul? a thick armor plating of material know-how, but a heart that has become empty? Have we not lost the ability to perceive the voice of God in us, and to recognize and acknowledge the good, the true, and the beautiful?”In order not to become Christian dinosaurs, we need to correct the course that human evolution is taking. Not simply to denounce technology, for we need to keep abreast of our adversaries… but to raise awareness that people can become so absorbed by a now-technological civilization that addiction to our technological devices can bring about a certain setting-aside of the non-technologically-defined mysteries of religion, while buying into the mysteries of Artificial Intelligence to the point of developing a skepticism toward the very mystery of God.To live the mystery of the Epiphany means to re-acquaint ourselves and others with the Star shining above us, but which we might have become too self-aware or culture-specific to realize.We will have to live in our world of technology and skepticism and even Herodian-style cynicism, but not allow these to define us, nor cause us to fear the reality and Presence of God, because we choose to live in the light of the Star of Christ, shining through God’s Presence and action in our lives, that we may become the Light of the World.It takes humility, courage, and self-sacrifice, witnessed in the pilgrimage of the Magi, to overcome our own “inner Herod” and bring hope to a discouraged world.The method will be to make a journey to Christ, as did the Wise Men of old. But we don’t have anywhere near as far to travel: He is right here in+ the Eucharist+ the Gospels+ the Blessed Sacrament, reserved in the TabernacleIf we make the trek frequently enough, and with sincerity, He will reveal Himself in an immediate, and personal epiphany.