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| Egbert Codex |
1st Epiphany
Matthew 2: 1-12 (adapted from RSV)
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.”
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| Leyendecker |
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, 2019
Matthew 2:1-12
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| Cogniet, Slaughter of the Innocents |
Evil seeks to destroy. Herod tries to destroy the Child and cuts a wide swath. Although the bodies of the innocent 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 still seeks to destroy the innocent. Recent deaths of innocent people 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.
Those innocent souls 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 their own illness.
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| Christ as Good Samaritan, Codex Rossanensis |
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.
