Epiphany - I just love the word. It's melodiously beautiful and it conjures up triumph and celebration, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, just from the sound of it.
In the Christian context, Epiphany is a feast worthy of great merry-making for in seeking and following the star, we, like the Magi, have arrived at the manger and discovered the good news of God made man in a tiny, rosy-cheeked baby.
It can, if we let it, be a revelation of such impact that our world is no longer the same.
Pope Benedict XVI says the deep desire of the Magi to leave everything and begin the journey towards God is precisely the mystery of God's call and the mystery of vocation.
Thus in undertaking the journey "toward the kingship of God Himself", we ourselves can experience the joy and hope of this eventual discovery, kneeling in adoration as we lay our gifts at His feet.
He goes on to add: "The secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to His will."
What is obedience to His will? What are the gifts that we can lay at His feet?
Pope Paul VI delineates it as "...simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility..." and that "...Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile."
We seem to live in a world that is morally bankrupt. The brutal gang rape in India last month that resulted in the death of a young woman is unthinkable to me, and yet, it happened.
How can a group of men treat another sentient being with such unspeakable violence and think it fine? It boggles my mind, and yet, this is my, our, reality.
Do I despair? Or simply dull my senses into a state of indifference? What can I do for I am but one voice.
All it took was one solitary star to lead the Magi. So all I have to do is to strive for holiness, to obediently carry out His will in faith, and let the light of our friendship shine a light in the darkness.
With Christ and Christ alone, can I do great things. With Him living in my heart, holding me by the hand, can I aspire to live in a world without violence but one filled with hope, love and joy.
My resolution this new year has nothing to do with personal goals but I would like to bring light to the world in a way that is not vain and sterile, nor in vain.
I would like to be able to lead others to the joyful discovery of the child Jesus in the manger who is fully human yet undeniably royal, and divine.
Therefore the feast of Epiphany is not just one day or a season in liturgical times, but a feast I seek to celebrate every day.
I want to live epiphanically. For He is here, among us, and we can see, hear and touch Him, if we but try.
In the Christian context, Epiphany is a feast worthy of great merry-making for in seeking and following the star, we, like the Magi, have arrived at the manger and discovered the good news of God made man in a tiny, rosy-cheeked baby.
It can, if we let it, be a revelation of such impact that our world is no longer the same.
Pope Benedict XVI says the deep desire of the Magi to leave everything and begin the journey towards God is precisely the mystery of God's call and the mystery of vocation.
Thus in undertaking the journey "toward the kingship of God Himself", we ourselves can experience the joy and hope of this eventual discovery, kneeling in adoration as we lay our gifts at His feet.
He goes on to add: "The secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to His will."
What is obedience to His will? What are the gifts that we can lay at His feet?
Pope Paul VI delineates it as "...simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility..." and that "...Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile."
We seem to live in a world that is morally bankrupt. The brutal gang rape in India last month that resulted in the death of a young woman is unthinkable to me, and yet, it happened.
How can a group of men treat another sentient being with such unspeakable violence and think it fine? It boggles my mind, and yet, this is my, our, reality.
Do I despair? Or simply dull my senses into a state of indifference? What can I do for I am but one voice.
All it took was one solitary star to lead the Magi. So all I have to do is to strive for holiness, to obediently carry out His will in faith, and let the light of our friendship shine a light in the darkness.
With Christ and Christ alone, can I do great things. With Him living in my heart, holding me by the hand, can I aspire to live in a world without violence but one filled with hope, love and joy.
My resolution this new year has nothing to do with personal goals but I would like to bring light to the world in a way that is not vain and sterile, nor in vain.
I would like to be able to lead others to the joyful discovery of the child Jesus in the manger who is fully human yet undeniably royal, and divine.
Therefore the feast of Epiphany is not just one day or a season in liturgical times, but a feast I seek to celebrate every day.
I want to live epiphanically. For He is here, among us, and we can see, hear and touch Him, if we but try.
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