There is a tradition in many families that Christmas decorations only return to their boxes after the feast of the Epiphany. When I was a little boy I used to feel sad for the 3 wise men figurines that we had for our crib set… simply because they only get displayed for a few days and nobody gets to see them because Christmas visits have come to an end. Despite the fact that we give so little importance to these 3 figurines and compounded by the fact that very little is said about them in the Scriptures, this is a great feast in the Eastern Orthodox Churches – it is their “Christmas” – it is the day the child Jesus was “introduced” to the men from the east. For most of us, by 6 January our lives are back to normal and because of that the importance of this great day is often overlooked.
The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaneia which means “manifestation”. What is the significance of Epiphany? The Magi, through their gifts declare Jesus as ‘King and Lord’ of the world. The gift of gold represented the kingship of Jesus, the gift of frankincense represented the divinity of Jesus, and the gift of myrrh represented the death and resurrection of Jesus.
We have reflected many a times on the gifts that the Magi brought but today I would like to reflect on the “gift” that drew the 3 wise men to the child Jesus. Only Matthew in his gospel mentions the fact that the 3 men “saw a star rise and that they have come to do him homage”. This simply means that the star that they saw was something that they had not seen before… some articles say that it could have been comet, a supernova (explosion of a massive star), a conjunction of planets or even an angel. All we can assume is that what the wise men saw was something out of the ordinary… enough for them to go in search of it.
There are many “out of the ordinary” circumstances that marked the birth of Jesus and this was going to be the way Jesus would conduct his ministry. Jesus did things extraordinarily. I am not just speaking of the many healing from sickness, raising from the dead, and casting out demons. His teachings itself were out of the ordinary that even people thought that he was “out of his mind” (cf. Mk 3:21).
Looking at the events that have been unfolding in our country the past couple of days, so many people have called for a strong reaction. It is so easy to tell people to fight fire with fire by telling them to go to the streets and protest, bang down doors if they do not open, stand at their doorstep if they will not listen, etc. This is what the world would expect us to do – it is the ordinary thing to do…some would even say that it is the logical thing to do. What would Jesus want us to do?
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you… if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:38-48)
The feast that we celebrate today calls us to be “out of the ordinary”. There are many things in our ordinary life that we can be “out of the ordinary”. It is so easy to be just like all other people – using bad language, gossiping, judgmental, dishonest in work, bribery, unforgiving, anger… If we do just as what others would expect us to do, then we fail to be the “out of the ordinary” star that leads others to Jesus.
The Beatitudes in the gospel of Matthew, which we consider the Magna Carta of Christian life, are “signs of contradiction” of the world we live in today. Yet Jesus offers us these guidelines so that our lives are marked by following him. On this feast of the Epiphany (and the beginning of a new year), let us commit ourselves to be bright shining stars… in the words of St Paul, “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation… shine like stars in the world” (Phil 2:15). May the Star of Bethlehem continue to shine through us!
