January 8, 2012 Epiphany:
1. (initial capital letter ) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
2. an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity.
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.
The feast of the Epiphany highlights our role in the Church and our missionary task. Let us rejoice in the fact that all of us, from different parts of the world, share a common faith in Jesus, the Light of the World. This is the meaning of today’s feast of the Epiphany, the feast of the manifestation of Jesus as Savior to the World.
The Scriptures do not tell us where the Magi came from. But from early on in Christian art, these Magi were depicted as three men coming from Europe, Asia, and Africa; and through them, Jesus was depicted as the “Light of Nations.” Though he was born in one particular place, in one particular culture, Jesus was born to save all people and lead them to the vision of the light.
The Church as a sacrament of communion with God and with all people is what we celebrate on this feast of the Epiph¬any. Our parish is made up of many peoples of different nations and cultures. Yet what joins us is our common faith in Jesus, the “Light of nations.” In Jesus, we, different though we are, find a unity that is as deep as the unity in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we share the Eucharist here in the church, and as we afterwards share the breads from different countries, we are called to build up the spirit of community among ourselves. Often we come to Church and sit in the same pew every Sunday, in front of the same people, but we have not come to know them by name. This Sunday after Mass I encourage you to introduce yourself; each Sunday thereafter, introduce yourself to people whom you see each Sunday at Mass. We share a tremendous faith and are united in a mystery that can be a source of great strength and joy to us. As a community we are meant to be a sign to those around us of the presence of a loving Christ—a community willing to draw disparate groups of our neighborhood together, a community concerned with our weakest and most marginalized. Besides being called to outreach as a community, we are called as individuals to bring to others the light of Christ. Our faith in Christ is the great gift given to us, a gift that is meant to be shared. Today at this Eucharist we renew our love for Jesus and we resolve to bring that love of Jesus to others. This feast of the Epiphany has a mission¬ary thrust. The feast impels us to invite those who have turned away from Jesus’ light or who have not experienced his light in their lives. We invite them to our parish— to a social event with our family or to a liturgy that can engage them in the love of God and the hospitality of our community. This missionary dimension is meant to be part of our lives as followers of Jesus. Jesus has no hands but ours.
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