The Epiphany of the Lord:
A feast for searcher; a feast for us, the Gentiles!
In the pre-Vatican II church of the 1950s, our family, our parish and our neighbors
[1] observed the Epiphany on January 6. For the Catholics in the neighborhood, it was a Holy Day of Obligation; we were requiredto attend Mass, even on a weekday, or face 'the pain of mortal sin.'
The feast also signaled the 12th Day of Christmas - the day our Christmas tree came down, ornaments were put away, and - saddest of all - the wonderful lights of Christmas were returned to boxes stored in the attic. Obligation and a return to winter darkness: as children, we found the Epiphany to be a sometimes discouraging feast that marked the end of the wondrous Christmas season. Of course, we enjoyed singing "We Three Kings" at church, but this carol had its own mysterious, mournful character. Perhaps it was those verses about myrrh - "suffering, sighing, weeping, dying - sealed in a cold, stone tomb" that affected us so - despite the flicker of joy in the refrain about the "Star of Wonder, Star of Light."
Happily, by the mid-1960s, we kids started to realize that the Epiphany was our feast. Perhaps it was the impact of Vatican II or our own coming of age or the confluence of both. We now realized that the Epiphany marked the first time in the New Testament that God's message of salvation, the Word Incarnate, the Christ, is shared with and revealed to the Gentiles. We knew that those three wise men from the East represented the vast sea of everyone who was not a member of the Chosen People of the Old Testament. That meant us!
Today's readings reinforce that message with great clarity and beauty. From the Old Testament, Isaiah exhorts the Israelites:
"Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory
of the Lord shines upon you...Nations shall walk by your light...They all gather and come to you...[from Midian and Ephah and Sheba, they] shall com, bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord."
We are reminded that the new Jerusalem, the Church, draws all people from all lands to experience the glory of the Lord.
In the Letter to the Ephesians, the author (most likely, a disciple of Paul rather than the apostle to the Gentiles himself) seems delighted to remind the Ephesians that through Christ, the Gentiles are coheirs with the Jews of God's grace. This revelation was secret in the past, but has not been revealed :
"It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
This is a startling message to the Jews, to the members of the Jesus movement. Many of them, even the Gentiles, had begun to follow Jesus as the Word became known to the diaspora Jews worshipping in synagogues in towns and cities around the Mediterranean. This is a radical development, and one that was critical to the "founding" of the early Church.
Now we come to the Gospel reading, the familiar words of Matthew about the visit of the Magi, the wise men from the East. Was there a star, or is this simply a lovely story? Over the years, family, friends and I have been fascinated by the various accounts in a variety of media about the historic movement of the planets and the constellations in the era around 4 BCE (before the common era). Surely God could use movements in the heavens, 'ordinary' events from a scientific standpoint, to communicate to His people. Surely the Magi followed that star or planet more than 2,000 years ago.
More recently, we've become aware that many biblical scholars view this story as haggadah, a popular Jewish story developed from the threads of numerous biblical tales. The truth of this particular story lies not in its details (three wise men from the East; a star to guide them to Bethlehem, where they presented gifts to a new King; a visit to and a warning to steer clear of Herod, etc.) but in the overarching message: God makes salvation known to all; God is open to seekers; salvation is there for Gentile and Jew alike. This story reminds us that it is all grace, all gift from God.
The story of the Magi is truly a bright light for us, the Gentiles!
Judy Horak is a member of the Ascension Schola who holds a master's in pastoral studies from Catholic Theological Union. Communications director for the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, she resides with her 84-year-old mother at Bethlehem Woods in La Grange Park.
[1] Our neighbors, whatever their denomination; in those days, there were few Jews and no Muslims in our sheltered suburb.
