Just a few days ago, we entered a new year. As one author described the New Year, it is a book with 365 blank pages. Each day of this 365 finds us filling a page of our journey. No day passes with no writing on our blank pages. Every activity, word, deed or omission of the day forms part of the story for each day. I pray and hope that your story is one that will find you every day moving toward Christ and finally finding Him whom the Magi sought by following the Star to Bethlehem.
As I reflected on the star which guided the Magi, I thought about many of you who come to this church from near and far distances: EufauIa, Indianola, Savanna, Kiowa, etc. Some of you come twice or more a week for Mass or for Faith Formation or to help in aspects of the Church’s life where you volunteer. I pray that each journey brings you closer to Christ, the Star of your life.
Today’s feast celebrates the great manifestation of Christ to the nations. The word Epiphany derives from the Greek word for “manifestation” or “showing forth.” In a true spiritual sense, Epiphany is the actual feast of Christmas, for today our Great God manifested Himself as the Light of all the nations. In fact, today, our brethren in the Eastern Churches celebrate Christmas. For them, God’s coming into the world was fulfilled not as much by the birth of a child as by His auspicious manifestation to the world, for children are born every day but not every birth of a child draws such extraordinary guests and gifts from distant lands. St. Teresa speaks about our search for God hidden in a child as God concealing Himself, yet giving us signals (the star) of His whereabouts, as a parent playfully hides from a toddler, to encourage the child to walk.
When I think of how incredible this story sounds, I can only imagine to what degree the coming of Christ and His life has impacted peoples of different nationalities, race and tongue. In hindsight we often think that anyone with any sense should be persuaded by the story and become a believer, while, in fact, the opposite is more probable. Take a two thousand years’ leap and reflect on what we’re asking people to believe: that God suddenly decided that He would like to become one of us, then enters the womb of an unmarried woman, and was born in a smelly doghouse, then grew up learning carpentry, but later became an itinerant teacher performing all kinds of feat that got him into trouble with the Roman authorities who had him tortured and crucified, only for him to come alive after three days in the grave. Sale me a story!
It only gets more astonishing when we announce in today’s feast that so-called wise men followed a star from a great distance, made inquiries about the birth of a baby-king, worshipped at the feet of a tiny baby lying in a manger, gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and chose to disobey the king who aided their search. Friends, this story isn’t as compelling as we often think it is. But that’s what makes it extraordinary and why it calls for profound meditation. We’ve heard it a thousand times and the same Jesus who revealed Himself to us with the infusion of faith in Him calls us to reveal Him to others. It’s unlikely that we’ll achieve this through a convincing argument. Others will be brought to Him by something we evince, something we manifest, and which they see in us—faith, hope, love, goodness, peace, and joy, rarely seen elsewhere.
We’ll become the modern day Magi, walking by faith, inspiration, love and intuition on our long and mysterious journey to see, no longer a baby, but our King. We are the modern day stargazers desperate to see our Superstar. And in the words of McKarns, we carry our gifts of virtue and goodness, like the nuggets of gold fit for a King. We also bring our pains on which He pours the healing balm of His love—myrrh; and we offer frankincense—our prayers, as priestly people united with Christ, our Great High Priest.
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo