Epiphany 2015
Robert VerEecke, S.J.
(During the homily the lights are extinguished so that the community can
only see the lights of the crèche and Christmas decorations.)
Who, what, when, where, why, how? Questions, questions, questions. This
feast of the epiphany raises more questions than it gives answers. Isn’t it
strange that this feast which has to do with light and illumination symbolized
by the star is shrouded in a sense of mystery, enveloped in darkness?
Here are some of the questions that this Gospel story raises:
Who are these magi that are searching for the child Jesus? They are said to
be kings from the East, but the Gospel text hides their true identity. They are
some kind of astronomers, wise ones who read and study the stars and
constellations.
Where do they come from? It’s curious that the only thing that is said is that
they come from the “East”. There is no country or place of origin. Like the
sun that rises in the East, these “Gentiles” come from the East, not bringing
light but following the light of the star, only to be illuminated when they
encounter the child Jesus.
How did they hear about this “new born king” coming from such a distance
when even those nearby in Jerusalem knew nothing of his birth?
Why did they travel such a distance to search for a king who had no
authority over them but to whom they would bring gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh?
So many questions. And really only one answer.
The evangelist Matthew wants the birth of Jesus to be enveloped in darkness
so that the light of the true identity of Jesus shines with even more brilliance.
As we know, without the darkness there would be no contrast. We need the
darkness so that we can recognize the light.
There are so many hidden elements in the narrative that Matthew tells. The
house where the Holy Family lives is hidden (it is not Luke’s manger). No
one knows where to find this new born king, not even the inhabitants of
Jerusalem or King Herod. His true identity as no ordinary king is hidden
from all except the Magi when they encounter him. But even before they
find him by the light of the star they seem to know whom they are looking
for. The gifts they bring symbolize the identity of this child: gold, a gift for
a king; incense, a gift for a God; and myrrh, a gift for a human being who
will know suffering in his life.
To tell the truth there are no clear answers to all the questions that arise from
the story of the Magi. One can say that Matthew writes it in a kind of
“code”—no, not the Da Vinci kind. Matthew writes it in such a way that we
the listeners want to ask more and more questions: who, what, when, where,
why, how? But the important thing for Matthew and his community of
Jewish-Christians, as well as for us, is that it reveals the true identity and
mission of Jesus for the first time. For the Israelite community, he is the new
Moses. For the Magi, the gentiles, the non-Jews, he is the path of salvation
for all the nations.
And for you and for me?
Each time we come to the Eucharist we are like those Magi who are seeking
and searching for an Epiphany. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we
are searching for that moment when light breaks through our questions,
quandaries and quirkiness. We long for a moment of insight when we know
that God is with us in our everyday lives.
And if truth be told, we bring with us the same gifts that the Magi brought.
The “gold” of our gratitude for the wealth of human relationships that God
gifts us with. We come with the incense of our awe and wonder in the
presence of the divine mystery of God’s being with us on our journeys. We
come with the myrrh of our human suffering—ours, our loved one’s, the
world’s.
And like the Magi, we prostrate ourselves and open up these gifts for the one
who has given us all this in the first place.
Who, what, when, why, where, how? There will always be questions. The
answer for us shines as brightly as the wonderful star.