Daily Retreat 01/07/07
2007 Jan 7 SUN: EPIPHANY OF THE LORD S
Is 60: 1-6/ Ps 71(72): 1-2. 7-8. 10-11. 12-13/ Eph 3: 2-3a. 5-6/ Mt 2: 1-12
N.B. Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th in many countries.
From today’s readings: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem - your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.... Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.... the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.... Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.”
The Search of a Lifetime
We don’t know much about the Magi, the wise men whose quest ended in the Epiphany of the Lord. We do know two things about them, though: 1) Their lives were defined by their persistent, diligent search for Christ, and 2) They were successful in their search.
Matthew does not relate many of the details of the Magi’s journey, but we certainly can surmise that they came far enough from the east that they had little knowledge of the Jewish scriptures or contemporary political scene, since they naively turned to the evil king Herod with the candid question, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” So their journey from their homeland must have been long and demanding. But note that they were motivated and driven, not by what they could GET from the newborn king, but what they could GIVE - their presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and even more, their presence with heartfelt homage!
So they were successful in sanctity - the Magi found the Messiah! But their quest has become our question: Do you and I orient our lives with our own persistent, diligent search for Christ, looking for Him, not to GET something, but so that we can GIVE Him our own presents and presence?
Is 60: 1-6/ Ps 71(72): 1-2. 7-8. 10-11. 12-13/ Eph 3: 2-3a. 5-6/ Mt 2: 1-12
N.B. Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th in many countries.
From today’s readings: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem - your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.... Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.... the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.... Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.”
The Search of a Lifetime
We don’t know much about the Magi, the wise men whose quest ended in the Epiphany of the Lord. We do know two things about them, though: 1) Their lives were defined by their persistent, diligent search for Christ, and 2) They were successful in their search.
Matthew does not relate many of the details of the Magi’s journey, but we certainly can surmise that they came far enough from the east that they had little knowledge of the Jewish scriptures or contemporary political scene, since they naively turned to the evil king Herod with the candid question, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” So their journey from their homeland must have been long and demanding. But note that they were motivated and driven, not by what they could GET from the newborn king, but what they could GIVE - their presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and even more, their presence with heartfelt homage!
So they were successful in sanctity - the Magi found the Messiah! But their quest has become our question: Do you and I orient our lives with our own persistent, diligent search for Christ, looking for Him, not to GET something, but so that we can GIVE Him our own presents and presence?
posted by FrPitstick | 1/06/2007
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