January 8, 2020
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany on January 5, 2020 at St. Austin Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; and Matthew 2:1-12.
Merry Christmas! Oh yes, by golly, it’s still Christmas! In fact, this is the biggest feast of the Christmas season in many parts of the world. In literature, an “epiphany” is a moment when a character suddenly sees something in a new way, or with new clarity. Usually, the character has made a number of mistakes in the story before reaching their epiphany moment.
Well, the protagonists in today’s gospel passage – the Persian astrologers who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh – only appear for twelve verses in Scripture. But maybe, just maybe, they have a story arc. They seemed to have presumed that the new king would be born in a palace, a presumption that unintentionally puts the new king in danger. But then, something happens to these astrologers that causes them to change, to understand something MORE about who the newborn king is.
In this new year, let us pray that we will have epiphanies of our own, more fully understanding how much God loves each of us!
Surely, the magi who came to give homage to the newborn king did not intend to endanger him, to force his family to become refugees, or to cause the other little boys in Bethlehem to be killed. But it happened. At one point or another, most of us have caused great harm to other people, sometimes without intending to do so. Often, we’ve done damage that we can’t repair.
The magi had traveled a great distance to pay homage to the newborn king, but it’s not clear WHY they were taking this arduous journey. Did they do it for religious reasons – understanding from the outset that he was God, the salvation of the world? Did they do it for political reasons – wanting to be remembered by this king if he ever became a powerful ruler? Were they simply looking for an adventure? (As my friend Bob suggests, perhaps they told their wives: “Honey, the guys and I are firing up the Harleys – we won’t be home for dinner.”)
Whatever the magi’s initial reasons for making the journey, something happened after they spoke with Herod. The star suddenly acted like a spotlight, leading specifically to one building. And after seeing the Christ child, they had a dream telling them to disobey the orders of the local ruling king. Matthew doesn’t really explain what happened.
We call this feast “the Epiphany” because it’s the first time that people who were not Jewish recognized Jesus as a king. But I’d like to believe that the magi themselves had another epiphany moment of their own, a profound experience of God when they saw the baby Jesus. The magi returned to their previous lives – probably in present-day Iran, of all places – and I’m guessing that they didn’t become Christian or Jewish.
I’d like to believe that these Persian astrologers were changed by their journey. Perhaps the magi became models of holiness, emanating a sense of peace and joy. And perhaps, some of the people who encountered them later also experienced a profound sense of wonder in the created universe and in the One who had created it.
One the greatest teachers of contemplating the universe in the 20th century was Thomas Merton. Because Merton wrote 70 books – including his best-selling biography, The Seven Storey Mountain – we know about the many stages it took for him to transform from a hedonistic adolescent to a Trappist monk. We know about the various epiphanies he experienced throughout his life. Probably the most famous one happened about 16 years after entering the monastery, at one particular street corner in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. As the historic marker erected on the spot quotes him, “[I was] suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people…walking around, shining like the sun.” In his last years, Merton – still thoroughly Catholic and thoroughly Christian – was a pioneer in interreligious dialogue, working with some of the most famous leaders of Asian spirituality in the mid-20th century: the Dalai Lama, D. T. Suzuki, Buddhadasa, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
We all have friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even relatives who belong to other organized religions. We know people who are agnostic. A few are atheists. Many are either apathetic about organized religion or they have chosen to become “spiritual but not religious.” Epiphany is a great day to pray for all these people, because we celebrate the role some Persian astrologers had in God’s plans for the salvation of the world. And no matter what their religious beliefs were, the magi certainly grew closer to God through their experience of seeing the newborn king of the Jews!
As we talk with atheists, agnostics, people of other faiths, or apathetic Christians, it is so important that we treat them with respect. We must remember that – like the magi – our actions have unexpected consequences, even when we have the best of intentions. When we pray in the presence of people who do not share our faith, we must endeavor to find words inclusive of their worldview, rather than settling for our familiar rote prayers. When we discuss our values or beliefs with them, we should speak from our personal experiences, with a genuine curiosity to listen to theirs. For example, when the magi came to adore the baby Jesus, I’m sure that Mary and Joseph did their best to make these Persian astrologers feel comfortable, rather than convincing them to convert to Judaism. When we nag our loved ones for leaving the faith, that’s not going to compel them to contemplate the love of God!
As we begin 2020, I pray that each of us will have some epiphanies this year, moments of growing in understanding how God is present in our lives, and moments of growing in understanding how God invites us to be better heralds of the gospel. I’d like to close with one of my favorite prayers, a prayer appropriate for at least three distinct groups of people: (1) those trying to determine what role organized religion could have in their lives, (2) those discerning what God is calling them to do at this moment, and (3) those who, like the magi, have inadvertently hurt someone by their actions. The prayer is by Thomas Merton.
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following
your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.
Even in the darkness, we don’t necessarily need a miraculous star to guide us. Even our mistakes can be redeemed and turned to serve God’s purposes. God is with us.