Epiphany, 2009

This weekend, we celebrate Epiphany. It is the revelation of Jesus as the Christ to the world. The ancient Church marked three separate 'manifestations' (which is what the word epiphany means in its original language of Greek): The visit of the Magi, the baptism in the Jordan, and the wedding feast in Cana. Now, we separate them out so that we can more adequately incorporate the meaning of each into our lives. We mark the coming of the wise men, the Magi. They were not kings in the traditional sense, but rather probably men of nobility and high education. They came from most likely modern day northern Iraq (ancient Babylon and Persia had their empires in the area). They were students of the stars, convinced that the happens on earth were written in the heavens. Modern scholars suggest that the "star" they witnessed was most likely the convergence of the planets Jupiter (the father-god of roman myth) and Venus (the goddess of love) in the constellation of Leo. This alignment suggested that heaven and earth were to be united and reconciled, that the Father God would bear a son in love, and this son would become the King. The fact of it appearing in the constellation of Leo is that it was to happen to the people of Israel - the tribe of Judah as the lion had a specific connection to this tribe. The magi set forth to find this king, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts fit for a God and a King. The star led the way to the Holy Family. This feast ought to remind us that God can use whatever He wants, even the stars, to tell the world of our salvation.