If we but open our eyes, we see echoes of the Nativity Story all around us.
We have just passed through the Feast of Christmas. For many of us, it has been a time of Joy. A time to take a break from work, and to spend time with people we love, with family and friends. In many ways, it is a magical time for us. Then we go through New Years Day, and celebrate once again … this time of surviving another year. We party some more, make some resolutions about how in the next year we will change.
And then, life continues. We leave this time of magic and mystery, and enter back into the world, which all too often, at least on the surface, is not a place of magic. Not a place of mystery. And the time we have passed through, this time of breaks from work, and fun and family, seems just a bit … UNreal …
The Feast of Epiphany is many things for us.
It is a powerful message that God came to earth in the person of Jesus, the Christ, not just for the Jewish people, but for ALL peoples, and that ALL can seek and find him. But, it is much more than that. It is a reminder of the Nativity Story, and that in the midst of the ordinariness of live, in the depths of the struggles of life, there is hope. Let me say that again. In the midst of the ordinariness of live, in the depths of the struggles of life, there is hope.
Lets not turn the Nativity Story into Disney Fairy Tale. Yes, the story of the Nativity of Jesus is a story of a miracle. But it is also a story of locked doors and filled rooms. Of searching for shelter and bedding down in barns. It is a story of refugees, and it ends with an escape from tyranny and the massacre of innocent children. For the people who lived and breathed that holy night in Bethlehem, there was no escaping the horrors of their world. We need to remember that as we enter back into Ordinary Time, and are reminded of the horrors and struggles of our world.
Because if we but open our eyes, we see echoes of the Nativity Story all around us.
Who can read the news and not find evidence of modern-day Herods? Those who use power for their own gain, at the cost of the lives and livelihoods of others. Whether they are political leaders, tyrants, or businesses that cast aside factories and workers in their relentless pursuit for wealth and shareholder return.
We look at the North American news, and hear about families at the northern border in Mexico, trying to escape from oppression and despair, asking for a place to stay where there is hope, and being told to go away. Jose, Maria and Jesús are still being told that there is no room at the inn.
Even shepherds are having a hard time. When one thinks of shepherds as nomadic agricultural workers, people on the margins whose hard work propped up the economy, then today’s migrant farmworkers come to mind. Those men and women who are very much a part of our community around Newmarket. Meanwhile, a conflict between literal shepherds and their farmer neighbours has claimed lives on both sides in Nigeria. And some of our Bishops, the metaphorical shepherds of the Catholic Church, have themselves been responsible for immense anger and grief among their flocks.
So, does all this “Real World” stuff take away from Christmas? Is this Homily really meant to bring us down? I mean, I could have talked about the three wise men. The gifts. Maybe even asked you what gifts you planned to bring to Jesus this year. A nice, safe, comfortable homily. But perhaps this is not a feast dayto be comfortable; Jose, Maria and Jesús were not comfortable in the manger. Maybe it is a reminder for those of us who are as comfortable as the innkeeper, to notice all those who may be knocking on our doors.
So, is this Homily really meant to bring us down?
On the contrary….. It is a reminder that there is plenty of reason for the season, because it is a reminder of why we need it in the first place. It is a reminder that Christmas is about the arrival of HOPE, which is needed most precisely when things seem to be at their darkest. Yes, the state of the world today is as urgent and horrific as it has ever been. But that reminds us that the arrival of a saviour is as relevant today as it was on the first Christmas. We should not shy away from that.
Epiphany reveals to us and to all humankind the HOPE that God has in mind for us.
It is a Hope revealed to us by God breaking forth into our existence to reveal Godself to us. To remind us that we are not alone. To remind us that there is some thing far beyond our limited experience of what it means to be alive. To show us that we are part of a spiritual domain that is real, and true, and life-giving.
It is a Hope that reminds us that though our life here is short, transient, filled with struggles, our ultimate goal in the journey of life is to be together with God in eternity.
It is a reminder that we are called to look beyond just this part of our existence, for if we see only that part of our existence, then we begin to cling to it, and so we want to fill it with the most for ourselves. The most money for ourselves. The most comfort for ourselves. The most time for ourselves. Often to the exclusion of others. But if we focus on the next life, we see that living to get the “Most” is not really that important.
Epiphany is a reminder that It is more important in the bigger picture, the eternal picture, to focus on the love we share, the concern and empathy we have for others, the time spent in prayer with God, communicating with God, discerning God’s purpose in our lives, and entering into a deep, personal relationship with God.
This will not only make a difference in this life, but in the next life. Our eternal life.
This is the Hope that arrived that Christmas Day.
Epiphany is a reminder that if we but open our eyes, we will indeed see echoes of the Nativity Story all around us, and we will find the Hope that marked its arrival to the three wise men at the manger.