Staying focussed

 ‘…they were overwhelmed with joy..’ (Matthew 2:10)

Matthew 2:1-12 (Year C: Epiphany)

The Epiphany as it is called – the visit of the ‘three wise men’ – customarily marked the end of the Christmas period. In Ireland, it used to be a widely observed ‘holy day of obligation’ among many Christians meaning that schools were closed but ready to re-open the following day after the Christmas break if it fell on a weekday. In Irish tradition this time is referred to as ‘Nollaig na mban’ – the women’s Christmas when the women rested and gathered together while the men did the work at home!.  Nowadays, the 6^th of January is associated with the ‘January sales’ as businesses struggle to clear shelves before the spring stocks arrive.

What does the ‘epiphany’ mean for us today?

The word epiphany comes from the Greek word theophaneia meaning the appearance of God to human beings. There is something of a mystery about the story of the visit to Bethlehem – literally the House of Bread in Hebrew – by the ‘wise men’ who came from the ‘East’. Whatever its historical origins the story has captured the imagination of generations as a type of climax for the story of Christ’s birth. The story of the visit is unique – among the Gospels – to Matthew. It draws attention to the appearance of God’s love in a troubled and divided world – a love that draws all peoples to God-who-is-love.  That all are called no matter who they are and where they come from is a theme in all the Gospels. It may be that Matthew wanted to draw attention to the way that the ‘gentiles’ – those outside the specially chosen Jewish people – are called to see and experience the amazing love that has been born into this world.

The journey of the wise ones (the magi as they are called) was not without danger and toil. To make a journey in such circumstances took incredible stamina, hope and trust that something was worth travelling for to see and behold.  As in today’s world, there is much danger and threat from power brokers who play with people’s lives and practice deceit and oppression. The pilgrims from the east had to use discretion, courage and perseverance to circumvent the Herodian scheming.

Astrology was a popular pastime in ancient times (and is still today among the gullible) and provides a focus for people in search of meaning, assurance and progress through life’s ways. The star that guided, pulled and filled the wise pilgrims was of another kind. It was like an inner star or magnetic force that led strangers over 100's of kilometres of barren desert to a humble place where they found something that exceeded their expectations. They were not just surprised by joy but they were ‘overwhelmed’ with joy, according to Matthew. We may note that they travelled not alone but together. On coming to a place of rest where the star shone they joined Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  Where two or three are gathered there was the messiah of Israel among them. 

The story recounts a symbolic giving of ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’.  There is a parallel, here, to Psalm &1(72):10-11:

The kings of Tarshish and the seacoasts shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.

But, this Psalm goes on immediately to say:

For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor. From oppression he will rescue their lives, to him their blood is dear.

All aboard

Ancient interpreters of this text see, here, a symbol of Christ’s royalty, priesthood and death. The origin of these products might suggest a source of what is today Saudi Arabia. Who knows? It doesn’t matter. They came from afar and they were not members of the ‘In-group’.  Matthew is trying to tell us that those ‘far away’ from the promised and chosen people are invited in to see, to believe and to worship.  The barriers between Jew and Gentile were already crumbling in the second chapter of the first book of the Christian New Testament.

On a lighter note some have commented that ‘three wise women’ would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts!  To be fair to the magi we don’t know if they were all men, how many there were and what exactly they did during their stay! The important point is that they made the difficult journey, found what they were looking for and returned safely.  To put it this way:

• They sought love;
• They realised that they were loved;
• They remained in grace-given love; and
• They found love.

The words of Psalm 62(63):2-6 seem very appropriate at this point:

O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy.

Three ‘stars’, not one, guided them:

• The star within of love seeking love
• The star over and beyond their immediate situation and place
• The star at the end of their journey in Bethlehem.

It was when these three ‘stars’ aligned that the pilgrims were ‘overwhelmed with joy’. The alignment took, in all likelihood, years, trial, error, re-trial and more years.  But, they got there and it didn’t finish there.  Their discovery took them back to where they came to continue their quest. How many stories were told and lives touched by the witness of their journey when they got back home?

And we journey on through life in search of meaning, renewed life and connection.  Like the magi we need to pay attention to the stars within and without that guide us. We can find it deep within if we live a more disciplined life of attention and practice based on compassion. ‘Mindfulness’ may seem like a gimmick word or cliché but it remains a key challenge. After all, Mary ‘treasured all these things’ in her heart many times in those early years of Jesus’ time.

Following our inner spark takes discipline and practice. It does not suggest a flight from reality or duty. Rather, it beckons us to become more focussed on what we are doing and experiencing now. It might be as simple as paying attention to eating, walking, waiting for a bus, conversation, non-verbal cues, pain, joy and hope. 

The story of the epiphany is a story of hope. Let this new calendar year be one of hope.

Postscript

Is it not ironic that the millions fleeing ‘from the east’ to Europe far from threatening ‘Christian civilisation’ in Europe (since when was Europe ever really Christian?) offer a unique opportunity to carry the mutual gold, frankincense and myrrh of kindness, compassion and hospitality.  There was an epiphany moment in a German train station when one child greets another child from the middle east with a kiss and a whisper.  This event told more about the potential of Europe to discover its own soul than any amount of diplomacy, warfare or haute-politique.  As the Guardian reported last year (Germany greets refugees with help and kindness at Munich central station):

Doctors assessing the medical needs of the newcomers, especially the children, say that while it is not immediately obvious when they clamber from the trains, and often beam on being greeted with gifts of cuddly toys from passers-by, about one in five are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many have tooth decay and most are insufficiently inoculated.