Bulletin Message on the Feast of Epiphany
Our Gospel narrative has two groups of people: King Herod and the Magi. History tells us that Herod was an extraordinary political survivor, a shrewd realist who rose to the top of the political ladder and maintained himself in power through threats, murder, and corruption. But while he was fussing around, wielding power, and desperately trying to hold on to power, strange figures from a distant land who were blithely indifferent to power, honor, wealth, pleasure and games of domination crossed the border and entered his territory. They were not looking for him, Rather, they were intensely surveying the night sky, looking for signs from God.
Upon finding God, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh: three gifts that revealed the three things they saw in Christ— namely, a royal dignity, “he shall reign as king and deal wisely (Jeremiah 23:5); so they offered him gold in tribute. They saw the greatness of his priesthood, so they offered him frankincense, as a sacrifice. They also saw his fate, his death, and therefore offered him myrrh. After greeting the newborn King, they went back to their own country by a different route. The profound biblical value on display here is that they were changed. They would remain Babylonians, but they had become citizens of a higher country. So, they couldn’t return by the same path.
May God help us not to return to the world of sin, violence, and dysfunction after we have crossed their borders over to Bethlehem.
Happy New Year, everybody. May 2022 become the year that your heart’s desires and deepest longing are fulfilled and realized. May you also find God in every aspect of your life. Amen.
Fr. Marcel
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