Some years ago, one of the gifts I received at Christmas from my sister, Melinda, was a marvelous video commentary on the history of Western Art by the British nun Sr. Wendy Becket, who sadly, passed away in 2018.
Perhaps some of you have had the opportunity of viewing portions of her series on Art History aired on public television in the past. Sr. Wendy possesses an incredible talent of helping her audience view the great artistic masterpieces down through the centuries from a new, different and insightful perspective. Her explanations make these incredible masterpieces come alive. Even the paintings that we are so accustomed to seeing time and time again, like the famous Mona Lisa of Leonardo Da Vinci, now reveal something new to those who have learned how to see with discerning eyes.
My brothers and sisters, - to see with new and discerning eyes is what the Feast of the Epiphany is all about. That strange word, Epiphany, is the Greek term for “revelation” or “manifestation”. St. Matthew in today’s Gospel presents us with the ancient tradition of magi or wise men coming from the East to the place where Jesus was born. On seeing the child together with Mary and Joseph, their immediate response was to “prostrate themselves and do him homage.” Far more important than the historical accuracy of this biblical story is the meaning that lies behind these events. St. Matthew using the powerful imagery that would capture the attention of his Jewish listeners, clearly is conveying the fact that something extraordinary has happened with the birth of this child. The ordinary gives way to the extraordinary. Something radically new has come upon the earth.
God’s great promise has been fulfilled in the birth of the child of Bethlehem. St. Paul, reflecting on this great mystery, captures the heart of it when he states quite simply, “that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel”. In other words, in Jesus, God’s all embracing love goes beyond the narrow confines of the Jewish people and is now extended to everyone in the human family who are willing to see with new eyes and accept this incredibly good news.
Epiphany, however, is not some isolated static moment in the unfolding of the Jesus story. Rather, for women and men of faith down through the centuries, each day, week, month and year, holds for us the potential of being an Epiphany or manifestation of God’s presence in our lives. A presence that can shock us out of our complacency; a presence that can turn our lives upside down in change and transformation; a presence that can bring consolation and comfort in the midst of life’s innumerable crises; a presence that can indeed give us the ability to see the ordinary in our lives from a radically new perspective - God’s perspective.
Tomorrow, our lives will begin to return to their normal routines with holiday celebrations but a happy memory. Let us pray that in these ordinary moments of our lives, in our relationships with those we love, in the frustrations and disappointments that are an inevitable part of the human journey, in the moments of intense joy as well as heart wrenching sorrow - in all these moments let us look for and find “Epiphany” - the manifestation of a loving God’s presence. May our gathering this day in worship give us the wisdom and insight that comes from faith to realize that even in the midst of the ordinary, God’s extraordinary presence is to be found.