Today is the end of the twelve days of Christmas and the beginning of the Epiphany season. During Christmas, we celebrate the coming of God creating Its own human nature and uniting us to Itself eternally, which we traditionally call the incarnation. The Epiphany is the revelation of that incarnation mystery to the whole world. The appearance of the wise men from the East in today’s gospel story symbolizes that this revelation is not limited to a certain ethnic group but is open to all. So, during this season of Epiphany, we celebrate and remember what is revealed to the world, which is God’s eternal oneness with the entire humanity, namely Christ. And Jesus of Nazareth reveals the mystery of Emmanuel, God with us through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
When we think about the word Epiphany which means to manifest, shine, or bring to light, there’s this image of darkness and light. The Prophet Isaiah declares, “Arise, shine; for your light has come.” The wise men from the East follow the light of the star to find baby Jesus in dark night. An interesting and obvious observation about light is that it does not seem to exist when there is no darkness. In order for us to see light, we need to be somewhere dark. My son, Theodore has one of those glow in the dark pajamas. When there’s light, it’s just regular pajamas with stars printed on the front. But once the light is off, all the hidden stars glow in the dark and my son gets so excited and amazed by those glowing stars. He doesn’t know many words but simply shouts, “Look! Look! Wow!” In a very similar way, the revelation of Christ is like that. Only in darkness, the divine light shines through and forth. In today’s gospel story, we see two groups of people. One group are those who are prepared to see light in darkness. Following the star in a dark sky, the wise men from the East traveled through darkness to see the light. Joseph and Mary, as we know from the nativity story, also struggled through to find a place to give birth and then to save Jesus’ life from King Herod. The other group, however, are those who are afraid to see the light. They would rather remain in darkness whereas the first group is able to recognize the darkness and seeks the light in its midst. King Herod is driven by fear of change in his power. All Jerusalem, according to Matthew, is also frightened with King Herod. All the chief priests and scribes, all those in power do not want any change. They do not want a ruler or a king who is not one of them. The reaction that King Herod and all Jerusalem show before the coming of this new world in Christ is their violent resistance to change. This resistance shuts down all the possibilities of change that Christ would bring to their world. This resistance to Christ not only keeps itself and others in darkness but also creates darkness to hide the light. This resistance to Christ that King Herod and all the chief priests and scribes manifest is also in us. That fear which is the origin of their restraining forces to changes is in us. Whenever we are resistant to changes to which Christ calls us, we remain in darkness out of fear. The problem is that in darkness, we either find comfort and security or remain in despair without hope. This darkness, we might want to call, our own comfort zone whether it is healthy or not. It’s like we create our own comfort zone and never want to step outside. Then we become numb or ignorant to problems that need to be challenged and changed in this unhealthy comfort zone. But no matter how much we darken our surroundings, it cannot hide the light of Christ. No matter how we hide ourselves from changes that Christ brings to our lives, we will be exposed by what is revealed to us. This is something we cannot change or run away from. All of us, when we were created in this world, have the light of Christ embodied or ensouled in the innermost depths of our very existence. The light of Christ within us is something that we can never get rid of since it is built and given in our very spirit. No one, even if you want to, can take that inner light away from you. No one can separate us from God’s eternal oneness with us. If this is the case, then why run away from light? Even if we try our best to remain in our comfort zone of darkness, the light will sooner or later invade and expose whatever is hidden. Then how do we actively invite this light to manifest in our lives? The only way is through. We often like our problems, challenges, and difficulties in our lives to simply go away or disappear like magic. We might ask God to solve all our problems in the way we want without having to get our hands dirty or putting any effort or sacrifice. It can be more like praying away bad things to happen to us. We might ask for magic, not for God’s will to be done. Now, going deeper into the darkness of our own is far from this attitude. Actively walking into and facing darkness of our own takes courage to accept things as they are. See your own darkness as it is and truly accept it. Never try to justify all your faults and wrongdoings in the past but compassionately accept them as they are while trusting God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Then believe that the light of Christ is already within you and walk to that light. The key here is to acknowledge and accept darkness in us as it is. It’s because only when we are able to see and find ourselves in darkness, the light of Christ transforms our lives. Without getting too caught up in self-attacking feelings of shame and guilt, see what your darkness is. And accept it as it is. Then move forward. The light of Christ is not to punish us but to deliver us from that punishment of darkness. The light of Christ is not to shame us but to remove us from that shame we carry and bury deep inside. When you see that loving flame of Christ’s light transforming your whole being, you will shout, “Look! Look!” As we begin the season of Epiphany, accept all the darkness the light of Christ reveals in and around you as it is. Don’t attach yourselves to the past, but accept what is revealed by the light of Christ. Don’t be anxious about the future that you do not know. But walk in the light of Christ here and now, discerning God’s will in everything you do. The beauty of Epiphany is not just about what is revealed to us in Jesus of Nazareth but that which is revealed to us reveals our true nature, which is Christ. Let the light of Christ shine upon you and lead you to be the light of Christ for those in darkness. Also, persist to remain in that light to the point where its excess will be felt like darkness, the divine darkness. Only through the dark night of the soul, we will see God who is beyond light and darkness. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
|