This and That BLOG

Today is Epiphany Sunday

Epiphany spelled with a lower case e means a sudden realization or what might be called an Ah-Ha moment. That’s not the kind we celebrate today, though those moments are good too.

Today we celebrate the manifestation of the Christ Child. The Wise Men, believed to be a combination of scientists, astrologers and astronomers, were looking for the new King, following a star, and came to Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger. We don’t know how many there actually were but tradition hold it to be three since there were three gifts. We also hear about camels in this scene. This is why we sometimes see images at this time of year with the Christ Child and camels. Like Paul being knocked from his horse on the road to Damascus, there is not scriptural basis for it. It’s tradition.

What is not tradition is that this child was God in the flesh, come to save us in an act of sheer love. It is God’s love for us that we are to pass on to one another.

I read this morning (Friday) in a treatise on John by Saint Augustine that we love God by loving one another. Our world seems an even crazier, more dysfunctional, place than usual at the moment. New Orleans, Las Vegas, and more, just this week, is cause to wonder how much longer Lord. It is also all the more reason to rededicate ourselves as being different from all that. Isn’t that what the faith is most about? By following Christ and loving one another we are set apart from the world. We are to be different and to attract others to Christ by our actions. The old song The Summons has the line that asks if my life should attract or scare. Certainly many of the lives we encounter in the world these days scare us away. We would never want to follow those.

So, as we make our way to the end of Christmastime in the next week and peek ahead to Lent, which begins by the way in exactly two months, let us honor God by rededicating ourselves to be people whose life attracts others.

Earlier this week I read something from St. Gregory Nazianzen, referring to his relationship with St. Basil. He wrote “Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or themselves, that is to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians.” May it be so with us too.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

I hope you have a great week with at least one Ah-Ha moment.

Peace, Bob