1st Epiphany
Matthew 2: 1-12
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| Egbert Codex |
When
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea—during the time of King Herod—behold: wise
priest-kings from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the one born here King of the Jews? We
have seen his star rise in the east and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this, he was deeply
disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And he assembled all the high priests
and scribes of the people and inquired of them in what place the Christ was to
be born.
And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for
thus it was written by the prophet:
And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth the ruler
Who will be shepherd over my people, the true Israel.”
Then Herod, secretly calling the Magi together
again, inquired from them the exact time when the star had appeared. He
directed them to Bethlehem and said, “Go there and search carefully for the
child, and when you find him, report to me, that I too may go and bow down
before him.”
After they had heard the King, they went on their
way, and behold, the star that they had seen rising went before them, and led
them in its course over the cities until it stood over the place where the
child was.
Seeing the star, they were filled with [there
awakened in them] an exceedingly great and holy joy.
Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary
his mother; they fell down before him and worshipped him. Then they opened
their treasures and offered him their gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to
Herod, they departed to their country by another way.
Epiphany
January 6, 2013
Matthew 2:1-12
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| Triumph of the Innocents, Holman Hunt |
Evil seeks to destroy. Herod tries to destroy the Child, and
cuts a wide swath. Although the innocent bodies of the children had died, their
souls and spirits form a living crown of supportive life. They form a living
sacrificial crown around this one Child who will one day sacrifice himself in
service.
Today Christ wants to be born and operate within every human
being. He wants to be seen working in the world. And today, evil seeks to
destroy the innocent. Recent deaths are a prompt to us. They prompt us to
fulfill the conditions within ourselves that allow Christ’s work to be seen and
experienced in the world.
The innocent want to encourage our open reverence before the
mysteries of the world.
They want to encourage our empathy and compassion for all
who suffer, including those caught up in evil through illness.
They want to stimulate our conscience, that is, our knowing
and acting on our part to play in the remedying of the world’s ills, starting
with ourselves.
The
world cries out for redemption. It needs men and women of selfless selfhood,
men and women of good will, so that Christ can work His salvation through them.
Only thus can His Being of Love operate on the earth.
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