EPIPHANY HOMILY – YEAR C 2024
Mt 2.1-12 Is 60.1-6 Eph 3.2-3,5-6
Rhyme Bible: “The Wise Men”
This feast takes me back to Athens in January 1977, when 3 of us, 2 seminarian friends and me just finishing a year off doing Chemistry, arrived at night to stay at a youth hostel, only to find everything closed the next morning. I had one term of biblical Greek, and the letters alpha, beta, delta, gamma from symbols in physics, plus omega from scripture! So it took a while to work out that this was Twelfth Night for the Greeks (also a romantic comedy by Shakespeare around 1600!), or the Feast of Epiphany, as we have it. We were near the centre of Athens, so there was still the opportunity of wandering around the Plaka, or city square, and walk up to the ruins of the Parthenon.
Later in that January of 1977, we went to Cologne Cathedral, where there are said to be relics of the Magi, in a big glass case, probably dating from the Middle Ages, when fraud was rampant and trafficking of so-called sacred objects a roaring trade. Not much veracity need be ascribed to that myth, but it helps attract the tourists!
For us, however, it remains a significant occasion, as it’s Matthew’s reminder that this child born for us had come for all, not just for a particular select group, and his message was all-embracing. The evolution of interpretations, titles and gifts over the centuries, contribute to the mythology, but what counts primarily is the fact of universality, that all are welcome, who are open to the mystery.
While Luke’s Gospel also has a universal focus, his infancy narrative ends with the outsider shepherds being enlightened and joyful at this simple birth, and first to witness the arrival of Jesus on the scene. The so-called wise men come from afar, their gifts symbolic of who this child is and what he is to become. They are said to represent the far-flung reaches of the known world of the time, Europe, Asia and Africa, or Persia, India and Mesopotamia, and so with different ethnicities, names given in time as Melchior an old man, Balthasar middle aged with a dark beard, Caspar an ‘elegant black youth’ (not related to the cartoon friendly ghost!). Were they philosophers or kings? Take it as you wish.
The whole point is the message behind the story, as it’s Matthew’s purpose to identify Jesus as Saviour, recognized by those from outside the Jewish scheme of things. God’s purpose is far broader, in bringing in representatives from different places and cultures. As Silvester O’Flynn OFM says: “Inner meanings are more important in this story than the outer details of history and astronomy. There is no need to search for the identity or the background of the wise men. They represent all people who make an honest search for the truths of life.”
Guidance by a star is nothing too novel, as the stars helped ancient navigators find their way in the dark on the oceans, the stars fixed in their place in the heavens, as opposed to the constant changing face of the surrounding world.
Then there is the fascination with astrology and star signs, leading into an illusory mentality of determinism, as if birth dates and Zodiac signs can be used to describe our personalities and our destinies! There’s nothing like fanciful imagination and wishful thinking! There’s no harm in a bit of fun, but let’s not take it seriously. And did you know that there is a further superstition that “misfortune would befall those that left their decorations up beyond Twelfth Night” ? (I go to so much trouble loading up the batteries and putting out my Christmas display that I have absolutely no intention of packing it all up so soon!)
Meanwhile, the magic men have fascinated me from childhood, extending the Christmas season for one thing, and making us think about diversity as well. I come again to my little book “The Gifts of the Magi”, which I was given one Christmas back in Asquith. It even has samples included, but I suspect the gold is more ‘fool’s gold’ than the real thing!
The symbolism here is significant too, with Bernard of Clairvaux (1190-1153) suggesting gold was to relieve the Holy Family’s poverty, frankincense as air freshener in the stable, and myrrh to drive away vermin, such as worms! Then again, gold was a form of tribute for a king, frankincense for religious rituals and indicative of divinity, and myrrh prefiguring Jesus’ death and reflective of his humanity.
There were also medicinal properties suggested to be associated with each. Gold was incorruptible (as a chemical element), but the Romans were silly enough to think a solution of gold could cure appendicitis! The Egyptians chewed frankincense for bad breath and sore gums, the Chinese used its smoke for respiratory ailments. Then myrrh was thought to cure everything from nappy rash to baldness. I wouldn’t recommend any of these remedies, and it’s obviously too late for me anyway, in terms of teeth and hair, at least!!
In the end, one can’t deny that the Christmas themes of peace and good will are universal human ideals to be pursued, and that the world would be a far better and happier place if these were applied in the human situation. The trouble is, when we consider human history, we find a propensity for hostility and misunderstanding because of ignorance, closed minds and an insular mentality among so many. Yet I mention again that photo of Earth as the Blue Planet, our precious common home to 8 billion+, where no national boundaries can be seen, only the azure blue of the oceans and the outlines of the continents and islands, a stark reminder of the fragility of life for each of us.
The story of the Magi is about Jesus coming as the light of the world to all who turn to him in faith and hope and love, as we continue our journey of faith and life, seeking the truth.
john hannon 5th January 2025