Sunday Homily, January 4, 2015, Epiphany
Readings:
Isaiah 60, 1-6, Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem. Your light has come. (Nice reading)
Psalm 72, Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Ephesians 3, 2-3, 5-6, The Gentiles are coheirs & members of the same body.
Luke 1, 26-28, When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east arrived.
Isaiah 60: observations–
1. Who: Can you guess which Isaiah this is, 1, 2, or 3? Yes, this is Isaiah III who seems to have lived after the Babylonian Captivity, that is, 555 Before Christ
2. Today’s passage: chapter 60 is addressed to Jerusalem as a symbol, which is in total destruction. Isaiah is trying to lift the spirits of the people who are depressed at seeing the mess that is Jerusalem. He is saying that your day is coming, Jerusalem, when you will return to being the most splendid city of all, and by extension, the tribe.
Isaiah 3 should get a commission from the Jerusalem chamber of commerce.
The Epiphany, a Cornucopia of Symbols:
2 observations & 2 postscripts–
Where to begin, folks. There is so much symbolism in this liturgy, in Matthew, for sure, and in the combination of Matthew with Isaiah and Psalm 72. I'll touch 2 points, each with 3 subdivisions..
1. The Wise Men have a double & triple significance because they are
a. Gentiles
b. They come from the east, considered the source of wisdom in the world of that time. Where does the sun rise? Where do stars rise? A new son has been born and like the sun in the east or a star he will bring new light.
c. They are searchers & symbolize every person’s search for meaning in life. Remember Matthew speaks to two audiences, his fellow Israelites, whom he is chastising for not searching, and the Gentiles.
2. The 3 gifts.
a. Gold is given because it signifies royalty.
b. Frankincense, or incense, signifies divinity.
c. Myrra signifies medicine. Myrra is for human health. It comes from a bush like tree that has a yellow, sticky sap on its bark. The sap was good for skin infections and acne, asthma, colds, and flu, and even herpes. It is found in Saudi Arabia & Somalia.
A post script. People in Europe used to write an inscription over their doors, e.g. 20+C+M+B+10. The numbers are our year. The letters are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Christians made it say, “Christ Bless our house or Maison the year listed.
Another post script. In New Orleans Epiphany starts Carnival season, which leads up to Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The parades are starting, folks.
Sources: Reginal Fuller, St. Louis U. Liturgy; Biblical & Theological Resources, the Voice Institute, on line; Wikipedia; and other sources.
The Epiphanies around Us
A while back Rosemary & I went to the exposition of some paintings of about six or eight artists. Among the artists and the reason we were there was a childhood buddy, who after a career as a lawyer now does oil paintings. And he sells them for mucho.
As we were wandering around we ran into another couple who are old friends. We asked what brought them to this exposition. They pointed across the room to a middle aged, middle class, blondish woman who was standing by some of her works.
Here is the story the wife told me.
The couple we know are both academics on the university level. Some years ago the wife had been teaching and came to know one of her students. The student was a mother with a son about 8 years old. At some point in time the father had abandoned them and left them with nothing. They were living in the mother’s car.
My friend says to me that this shocked her and she thought this cannot continue. She described the situation to her husband and two sons who were about 10 & 12. Guess what they did.
Yes. They invited the mother & son to live with them until they got on their feet. The two sons moved into one bedroom and the mother & her son took the other. Here they lived for almost a year until the husband found the woman a job.
The woman now is successful and is developing as an artist, selling her works for significant sums. The son graduated from Jesuit, graduated from college, and now is married with a couple of his own kids.
Obvious from the fact that they were at the art exposition, my friends are still quite close with the mother & her son.
I would propose that this is what epiphany is, a pointing to a presence among us and in us. The presence is acceptance and care for others. It points to something beautiful, a wow experience. I received a wow experience just from meeting that woman and hearing her story.
Who is an epiphany for you?
For whom are you an epiphany?