“The Gospel begins with go.” I saw it on a sign yesterday in front of a church, and it set me thinking: That sentence provides a handy lens for looking at today’s readings for this Solemnity of Epiphany and the end of the Christmas season. There is a call to movement in each of the readings.
“Go” in this case is directly related to the title of what we celebrate today: Epiphany. Epiphany means “manifestation” or “showing.” Today’s Gospel is the story of the Wise Men from the East and their journey fulfilled in finding the Christ Child. It is a celebration of the manifestation to the world that Jesus, the Christ, came as a Savior for ALL. God had worked a wonderful work in his relationship with the Hebrew people. He promised them a Messiah—someone who would come from them to bring them everlasting glory. They, including King Herod, did not understand that Jesus was to be a Spiritual King, a spiritual ruler. His spiritual Kingdom was to BEGIN in Judea with his birth, but it was not about politics. It was about faith based on a trusting, obedient relationship with God that includes both teaching and Grace to live a life centered on LOVE—love that is about the good of the other, that includes Truth, Compassion, and Fidelity.
Today’s readings are all also about “going” in the night. The Wise Men had to travel at night in order to follow the star. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus left Bethlehem in the night to follow Joseph’s dream and make the family safe. Even the first and second readings have an element of emotional and spiritual night in them.
Isaiah 60:1-6
This joyful anticipation of the Epiphany we celebrate today comes from “Third Isaiah,” the part of the book of Isaiah written after the Babylonian exile. The Jewish people have returned from a relatively good standard of living in Babylon to a Jerusalem in ruins. Now they live in mostly destroyed buildings in abject poverty. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra tell the story of how hard it was to motivate the people to rebuild and start life over. In this time of emotional night, this prophecy comes to them: “See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples, but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory….THEN you shall be radiant at what you see…” Then specifically the Wise Men are anticipated “Caravans of camels shall fill you…”
The Church gives us this reading every year to remind us that prophecy foretold a Messiah for ALL the world. The psalm echoes this, “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
The church in Ephesus was a mixture of Jew and Greek. The Christian community struggled mightily to understand “that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise of Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” First, Second, and Third John, the first readings for daily mass through the Christmas season, were written to the church at Ephesus. Unity was HARD for the Ephesians.
In this brief passage, Paul is expressing with joy that he understands it can be hard to live out that Chosen People can be expanded to include even Greeks and Romans who have been oppressive enemies of Judaism. Yet, truly, it is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Previous generations didn’t know, but the Ephesians are living out the manifestation that Christ came for ALL. Their struggles are darkness, but they are encouraged to move into the Light of Christ.
Matthew 2:1-12
The familiar Gospel story speaks of going, as well as light and darkness. The Wise Men see the star and follow it. They go. They are following it into Roman territory, unknown territory. They follow a light in the sky across deserts and likely some mountains into the unknown.
They come to Jerusalem and discover the local ruler knows nothing of the birth of this King. It isn’t his son. There would have been some intellectual darkness in that. Still, they follow the star. They find the child and his parents in an ordinary, borrowed house. Yet, they are WISE, recognize the Christ, leave their gifts, have a warning dream, and avoid Herod going home.
We know the rest of the story: Joseph also has a dream. He takes his young family and goes to Egypt, where he stays until Herod dies—probably about four years.
Applications: Vatican II
The picture today is of Vatican II. More than six months ago I saw a news article that said Pope Francis encouraged people all across the world to study the four constitutions of Vatican II in 2023 as a preparation for the Holy Year 2025. From my St. Meinrad studies, I was already familiar with them, but the thought of studying them deeply with others intrigued me. I have seen little more about it in Catholic news or Catholic publishers.
But I have been studying. Early in my studies (I don’t know where), I saw something about the role of the Holy Spirit in Vatican II—how it brought people together from multiple points of view in the Vatican II sessions so they created 16 documents that were overwhelmingly approved by the whole body of voting bishops—most by 99% of those voting.
How did God manage that? And, sixty years later, what do these documents that are part of the Magisterium tell us? How are they Light for us? How are they the Star of Bethlehem for 2023?
I must admit, I am falling in love with them. So, this Monday, a group of us in my parish will begin a study of Lumen Gentium, which means literally “Light to the Nations.” We call it the Constitution on the Church.
I noted here at A Catholic Moment that I would also start a study of Lumen Gentium for readers on zoom. The Sunday readings until today did not encourage me to talk about it in my reflection, and, there have been only a few people who have said, “Yes, I would like to join the discussion.” Maybe it was the holidays or the low level announcement or even that I set it up to meet every week—which may be too much.
So I am delaying the beginning until next week, January 15, at 2 pm US Eastern time. And, those who gather will decide if they would rather meet every week or every other week. This first study will have four sessions. When we finish, we will see if there is interest in taking up another document for four sessions.
Lumen Gentium was not a controversial document, but it formulated into Magisterial doctrine some things like “The Church is a Mystery” of God’s relationship with humanity, “Laity have the task of taking the Gospel into places where only they can plant it,” “the all-human Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, is a central part of Catholic faith.”
So—would you like to join this four session study on January 15? We have had some wonderful conversations in ACM group studies before.
If you would like to join, contact me at mary@skillswork.org this week. We will begin on January 15 with getting to know each other and some overview of Vatican II. A copy of Lumen Gentium is available from the Vatican website https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html
Or you may have a copy.
The reading at times is dense, but that is the advantage of studying together.
St. Paul was delightfully joyful about Jews and Greeks becoming ONE church, ONE Christian body. The author of Isaiah III was delightfully joyful at the thought of a Messiah coming from his people. I don’t know that the Wise Men and the Holy Family were joyful as they journeyed in the night…but they followed the Light.
They became the light.
Studying Vatican II is one way to do that, but certainly not the only way. How is God leading you to make the wonder and the glory of the Epiphany known.
Go.
Prayer:
Lead me, guide me, Lord. I would follow your star. I would follow your dreams. Vatican II spoke your Word for today. Let it lead us, Lord, out of polarity into a sense of unity…and joy!
