Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Catholic Church

The word “epiphany” means to make known.  On the Solemnity of Epiphany we celebrate Jesus being revealed to all the nations.

The Magi appear only in the Gospel of Matthew.  They are not called Kings and their number is not given.  Matthew understands them to be astrologers.  The Magi receive their revelation not from Sacred Scripture, but from the heavens.  They discover a star.  It was common belief of antiquity that a new star marked the birth of a ruler.  For Matthew, God not only reveals through Sacred Scripture and dreams but also through nature.  The astrological sign will lead these Gentile Magi out of pagan superstition and worship into an encounter with the King of the Jews who is Jesus.

The Magi challenge contemporary Catholics in at least two ways.  First, they represent people who are seeking the Lord right in our midst.  We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to help the alienated, the lonely, the rejected, or the confused among us who, like the Magi, are looking for Jesus.  If we do not act, they may not find Him.

Second, the simple, risk-taking quest of the Magi threatens our complacency.  If we seem to have stopped in our spiritual tracks, their example might help dislodge us and overcome our inertia.  We, too, must find Jesus and worship Him.

On the Feast of Epiphany we worship the King of all nations.  We worship God as the God of all creation.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

 

This account of Jesus’ adolescence is the only passage in the Gospels that speak about  Jesus’ life between His birth and His Baptism by John the Baptist.  The center of the narrative is verse 49: “did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  The passage can also be translated “involved in my Father’s business” or “about my Father’s work.”

For the first time in the Gospel, Jesus calls God “my Father.” No matter which translation you use, the key idea is that as Gods’ Son, the purpose and goal of Jesus’ life is in relationship to His Father and in obedience to His will.

The account is filled with the anguish, confusion and shock experienced by a parent with the first harsh realization of adolescent independence.  Jesus seems pulled between the compliant obedience He owed His parents and a higher calling  involving His unique relationship with God.

It is difficult for us to simultaneously grasp the humanity and divinity of Jesus.  Our images of Him usually reflect one or the other aspect of His identity, but rarely both.  Today’s reading weaves the two dimensions together and gives us a great deal to ponder.

Luke tells us something important about the hidden years of Jesus’ life.  He tells us that Jesus ”grew and became strong”; “he advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.”  He was obedient to Joseph and Mary.

In that Holy Family God prepared His Son to save us from sin and open the gates of heaven for us.  That remarkable Holy Family is an example of love and obedience to God’s will which each and every family of our parish should imitate.

HAVE A HAPPY CHRISTMAS WEEKEND!