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Connections. . .
Epiphany of the Lord
Second Sunday after Christmas
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
- Matthew 2:1-12
The dark side of the star
It is a wonderful story that we never tire of hearing:
Following the magnificent star, astrologers from a faraway land travel many miles in search of the newborn king of the Jews. The star leads them to Bethlehem where they find the child and his parents. They humbly present the child gifts worthy of a king -- gold, frankincense and myrrh.
But there is a dark side to the story. Herod perceives a serious threat to his rule in the travelers' news of the birth of a rival king. He tries to dupe them in order to locate the child and then kill him. When the astrologers deceive Herod and depart by another route, Herod flies into a rage. As the evangelist Matthew recounts, Herod orders the massacre of every boy under the age of two in the region of Bethlehem in order to put an end to this would-be adversary.
What kind of a demented tyrant could be so threatened by a child? But Herod has much to fear from this Jesus.
And so do we.
The child born of poverty in a backwater village comes to tear down the paper mansions of the self-possessed rich and powerful and, in their place, exalt the lasting things of God.
The newborn Messiah, recognized by rustic shepherds and mystical strangers but rejected by his own people, comes to destroy forever the walls we have erected to divide classes and tribes, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, young and old, believers and nonbelievers.
The future rabbi, a carpenter's son, comes to establish a church, not made of brick and mortar, but founded on the Spirit of God, and built of human hearts.
Christ does not remain in the manger forever. He goes forth to do his Father's work.
And that threatens the Herod in all of us.
CONNECTION: When the magi return to their homeland and the star sets in the heavens, the real gospel story is only beginning. The child Jesus becomes the adult Messiah; the beautiful story of his birth becomes the unsettling story of humble servanthood, unconditional forgiveness and unlimited compassion. The Epiphany of Christ invites us to travel with him in the liturgical year ahead to witness his healings and wonders, to listen with open hearts to the words of compassion and forgiveness he preaches, and to enter into the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection until our own rebirth in the dwelling place of God.
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