SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS epiphany in some countries
Yes you did read the heading correctly it is the second Sunday after the feast of Christmas and we are now almost at the arrival of the Three wise men on Epiphany which takes place on Monday 6th January or in some countries on Sunday the 5th. By long standing sacred tradition Christians celebrate Christmas as a season, with the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany as one long “Christmas feast.” The season ends with the Baptism of the Lord which is also the first Sunday of ordinary time and that takes place next Sunday.
In the feast of the epiphany that we celebrate on the 6th of January the Magi or the Wise men represent the “mystery” made manifest in concrete human beings. By their very nature they are seekers, people who came looking for the “king of the Jews.” Where would they find this royal child? Not in the courts of the powerful, like Herod. He was an example of how those in power would react to the gentle one who would draw all people into his realm.
Jesus was not born in a mighty city, nor was he an heir to a powerful ruler. Instead, he was born in Bethlehem, a backwater in the eyes of those of Herod’s court and the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Through the “least,” and the poor, Christ comes to us. That’s a lesson the church needs to continually learn and proclaim. The Christmas and New Year festivities are now a distant memory, and I am certain many people out there are asking themselves the time honored question for this time of the year, why did I make such a fuss!!! So many make a fuss about the secular part of Christmas and as a result they have missed the essential message of the season. The essential message is that Jesus Emmanuel was born in the stable in Bethlehem at Christmas and that he is the reason for the season. Our readings for the second Sunday of Christmas are about the Wisdom and the blessings of God and the Gospel tells us about the word who was in fact the Son of God. Jesus Christ, therefore, the Word made flesh, was sent as “a man to men.” He “speaks the words of God” to us and completes the work of salvation which His Father gave Him to do.
When we look for Jesus as the wise men did we will find Christ among the “least” and this is the message, the humble message that lies at the heart of our faith. Jesus does not seek what is good and wise in the eyes of the world he seeks out the small and the humble people those who are unwise in the worlds eyes. May we not be afraid in the year that has just begun to seek the true wisdom that God wants for us, the wisdom of the Wise Men which is the wisdom to seek God and follow the star which is Jesus the light.
Fullerton T 