The Feast of the Epiphany
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany! For most of the world, Christmas is in the rearview mirror, all presents are unwrapped, and life is set on normal mode. Of course, the Catholic Church has other ideas. The Christmas octave only ended a few days ago and the liturgical season still has a week to go! Break out the eggnog and put the tinsel back on the tree!! We’re not done yet!
This feast commemorates the three wise men visiting the Christ child, bearing lavish gifts for the newborn King. It’s the reason we exchange gifts with friends and family during Christmas…right? That’s the first thing that comes up in the Google AI response. But the Greatest Gift had already been given. Christ was already born.
And let’s break this down a bit. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Luxurious gifts by our standards, to be sure. They were a generous trio! But, technically, what they brought all belongs to and came from God…He gave it all to us! The famous carol ought to be “We Three Re-gifters”!
Three kings: For You, God!
God: Didn’t I give y’all this stuff at Creation?
Three kings: *GULP*
So why make such a big deal out of this? Sure, it focuses on the act of giving…but there must be something in what is given! What else has God given us? Seems obvious…but the answer is EVERYTHING!
The kings sought the Christ child, guided by the light of a star, and did Him homage. And all of this took place AFTER Christmas! The image is powerful – what God has given us (which is EVERYTHING), it is right to turn around and offer it right back to Him. He calls us to seek Him by the light of truth and to give our lives to Him.
Sometimes, we can get caught up thinking about all we have accomplished. It is tempting to look at everything in our lives as achieved through our own efforts, skills, and ingenuity. Thing is…we got the stamina, talent, intelligence…and life…from God.
As we wind down the Christmas season and prepare for Ordinary Time, keep the giving going. Give your life back to God. He knows what to do with it better than we do anyway.