Is 60:1-6
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Mt 2:1-12
One of the challenges to getting through the Christmas season is the amount of sickly sweet imagery that clings to the celebration of Jesus' birth. These challenges include images of a toddler-sized newborn and depictions of Mary dressed in blue and white watered silk
encrusted with pearls and rhinestones. Morbidly obese Santas, reindeer, and elf cards are beneath contempt. Overall, the images imposed on Jesus' birth are frequently painful and embarrassing. Much too often we hear about "The Magic of Christmas" or how "Christmas is for Children."
Christmas is not a holiday for children.
Christmas is a holy day for all peoples of the world.
Christmas is not magic. It is not a panacea for sorrow. No one is required to be happy at Christmas. Too often the sorrowful, the dying, and those who are struggling with the realities of life, are told that if they surrender to the magic of Christmas they will feel better. Families, friends and neighbors of those grieving the death of another
oftentimes insist that a large dinner at someone else’s house will make all cares disappear, or, at the very least, begin the pseudo-psychological non-existent process called closure. Unfortunately,
Epiphany is not exempt from the gooey sweetness.
Epiphany derives from the Greek: epi: forth and pheinein: to show.
Thus Epiphany: to show forth. Among the dictionary definitions one finds, "a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something, . . .a sudden intuitive realization." An intuitive realization of Jesus as Messiah is the perfect description of this feast. But, then there is the problem of "the kings."
The word "kings" does not appear in Matthew's Gospel. Those who bore the gifts are called magi. Some translations use wise men. No matter the translation, they were not monarchs. The word kings did not come into use until the sixth century.
Matthew used the plural but did not give a number. There could have been as few as two or many more than three. Because the gifts were described as gold, frankincense, and myrrh, tradition holds that there were three magi. Despite the custom of Kasper, Melchior, and Balthazar their names are not included in scripture.
In the end, the number of magi, their names, and their kingly or non-kingly status, are irrelevant distractions to understanding epiphany. The true significance of the magi is their journey, their pilgrimage in search of Jesus.
Pope Benedict XVI described the significance of that journey:
“The journey of the wise men…is just the beginning of a great procession that continues throughout history. With the Magi, humanity’s pilgrimage to Jesus Christ begins. It is a journey toward God who was born in a stable, who died on the Cross and who, having risen from the dead, remains with us always, until the end of the world.”
The Magi are important not because they brought symbolic gifts
of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They are important because they were the first Gentiles to worship Jesus. They were the first Gentiles
to recognize Jesus. That epiphany, that moment of recognition
was not exclusive then nor is it exclusive now.
We will hear of more epiphanies in the cycle of readings throughout the year. There will be many epiphanies scattered throughout our own lives if we are willing to notice them. The true meaning of Jesus’ incarnation and birth is found in a verse in today's Gospel.
"When King Herod heard of this he was greatly troubled and all Jerusalem with him."
Herod's jealousy and the duplicity underlying his conversation with the magi gets closer to the reality of Christmas than do the lyrics of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "We Three Kings of Orient Are."
We see the first shadow of the cross in Herod's jealousy and evil desires. We see the path from Bethlehem to Calvary in Herod's malevolence. "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." This, from a crazed cruel megalomaniac.
The first reading from Isaiah assured Jerusalem that the glory of the Lord would shine upon her. In the context of Isaiah’s prophecy, the reading from Ephesians is consoling because it assures the Gentiles
that they are included in the promise, that they are part of a new covenant. We are reminded of that daily in the words of consecration
that you will hear in a few minutes:
"This is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins."
"poured out for you and for many."
Once we wash away the treacle, once the sloppy sentimentality is discarded, once the word magic is forever disassociated from Christmas, we can begin to understand its true meaning. Once we get rid of all the gooey stuff we can begin to understand that what we call the "Christmas story" did not end when the magi returned home,
wherever that might have been. It does not end when the tree is kicked to the curbon December 26 or, at the latest, January 2.
Dag Hammarskjold, the second secretary general of the U.N., was murdered in 1961 while on his way to what was then Northern Rhodesia. A small journal discovered in his apartment after his death
has been in continuous print since it was published under the title: Markings.
A number of the later entries are haiku, the Japanese poetic form
limited to twelve words totaling seventeen syllables. One haiku captures the true meaning of Christmas. There is nothing gooey, sticky, or treacly about it. There is no magic in it. It does not suggest a celebration of food, booze and consumer insanity. It has nothing to do with a holiday. It has everything to do with a holy day.
"On Christmas Eve
Good Friday was foretold them
in a trumpet fanfare."
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