A Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord (2007)
Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Do we really understand what that word, “epiphany,” means? Simply put, an epiphany is an appearance, and today we recall the appearance of the infant Jesus to the three Magi, or “Wise Men.” The Magi were most likely astrologers from Persia, or modern day Iran, and by following the star, they were fulfilling the prophesy of Balaam, the holy man that the Israelites encountered during the Exodus, who said, “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel” (Numbers 24:17).
When God selected Israel to be His Chosen People, He was calling them to an important mission. As we heard in today’s first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah, “darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the people” (Isaiah 60:2), when people are separated from the Glory of the Lord. It was through the Chosen People, Israel, that God was going to reveal His magnificent Glory. The mission of the Chosen People was not just to keep that light of God’s Glory to themselves, but as Isaiah goes on to say, “Nations shall walk by your light” (Isaiah 60:3).
Jesus, who is “one in being” or “consubstantial” with the Father, is the ultimate manifestation of God’s glorious Light. The Magi who come to do Him homage are symbolic of the fact that the salvation and redemption that Jesus offers is for all people, not just the Israelites. It is through Jesus that the response to today’s Psalm is fulfilled, “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
God’s Kingdom, which is the Church, extends through all time and space. Empires and nations will come and go, but the Church endures. Have you noticed in history that tyrants and totalitarian governments hate the Catholic Church so much. They want total control over people’s lives, and the Catholic Church stands as a constant reminder that they do not and cannot have total control over human destiny – only God can. And so, as Herod tried to do with Jesus, the eternal High King, they try to stamp out His Bride, the Church, His eternal kingdom.
Just look at history. Roman emperors persecuted the Church, as did the barbarian tribes of northern Europe. Medieval Islamic Caliphs, French Revolutionaries, Nazis, and communists have all tried to suppress the Catholic Church and take over the throne that only Christ Jesus can occupy, but the Church continues to survive, grow and spread.
One of my favorite saints, whose birthday just happens to be this Monday, January 8, is St. Maximilian Kolbe. He is just one example of the unconquerability of our Faith. St. Maximilian was a Franciscan priest who was imprisoned in a concentration camp by the Nazis during the Second World War. His “crime” was speaking about the love of Jesus, and His eternal kingdom. The horrors of the concentration camp could not conquer his Christian spirit. He secretly celebrated Mass on crowded bunk beds, and he heard confessions walking through the mud on his way to slavish labor. His greatest witness to Christ’s love, His Light in the midst of horrible darkness, was when St. Maximilian offered to substitute for a married man who had been condemned, with others, to be starved to death. For fifteen days in the starvation bunker St. Maximilian encouraged the other men by getting them to pray and sing hymns.
Of course St. Maximilian Kolbe is just one example of heroic witnessing to the Kingdom of God. Each one of us should be like a star: a bright and constant witness to Christ’s love, a gentle but clear and attractive invitation to the everlasting Kingdom of God. We are all called, through our baptism, to encourage others to raise their eyes beyond this passing world. We are citizens of Christ’s Kingdom, and in this world we are His ambassadors.
So many people are seeking fulfillment where they cannot get it – in their own little kingdoms of money, power, and pleasure. They place their hopes, their happiness, in the shifting sands of undependable human affections and relationships, only to see them disappear like a puff of smoke.
If we do not show them a higher and eternal kingdom, one that will infuse all those hopes and relationships and activities with a meaning that never grows old but only grows better, who will? Vast tracts that were once Christian, like northern Africa, have been lost to Islam. Most Europeans, who identify themselves as Christian, no longer pray or go to church. Christ is often excluded from the public square, the marketplace and the workplace.
You may have heard the phrase “New Evangelization.” Do you want to know what that means? Just look at the example of our last two Popes. John Paul II would kiss the ground the first time he visited a country, and then he would give speeches about the history of that land, especially its Christian history. Pope Benedict XVI, on his recent trip to Turkey, repeatedly talked about the long history of Christianity in that now mostly Muslim country. The New Evangelization is focusing on renewing the memory of one’s Christian roots, especially when they have been forgotten or ignored. All of us must re-claim our Christian spiritual traditions, starting with frequent celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and weekly participation in Mass. It is from the sacraments that we are nourished so that we can shine with the light of Christ.
Our example, our words, our actions should reflect Christ. Where can you be more like Christ? Which relationship, which habit, which activity in your life needs to be enhanced right now, so you can be more like Him? You know, and the Holy Spirit knows. Ask Him now, during this Mass, when you receive Holy Communion, ask Him to show you what project of home improvement for your soul you should take up, and ask Him to give you the courage to do it. I know that my “soul improvement” list is pretty full. How is yours?
We should be billboards for Jesus’ Kingdom. Each of us should be like that star that guided the Magi to Jesus - more people than we realize, people who live right beside us, are searching, and if we let our lives shine in Christ, we will give them true joy.
