Where is the newborn king of the Jews? — Matthew 2:2
Have you ever had an epiphany? A sudden realization? A flash of recognition in which someone or something is seen in a new light? I just realized that epiphanies often begin with a question. On this day when we commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the three magi, we see that it all began with a question.
Look at these other epiphanies. The first is from Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in his book, The Gift of Peace. He found himself wondering how Jesus kept his ministry on track with “all the ‘mess’ of the world that intruded into his life and ministry.” He writes, “Then one day it struck me that when Jesus opened his arms to embrace a little child and when he opened his arms wide on the cross to embrace the whole world, it was one and the same. He came to bring the Father’s healing, saving love to the human family—one person at a time. . .So, the people he encountered were never interruptions. . .they were opportunities to carry out his mission. . .Serving others was at the very core of the meaning of his life and ministry.” Epiphany.
St. Catherine of Siena posed a question to her ponderings on the dignity of the human person. She asks, “Why did you so dignify us?” And, in the next sentence, she writes, “With unimaginable love you looked upon your creatures within your very self, and you fell in love with us. . .and give us being just so that we might taste your supreme eternal good.” Epiphany.
St. John Paul II repeated his epiphany three times as he pondered Jesus identifying himself with the poor in Mt 25: 31-46. He spoke these words in Mexico (1979), in New York (1979) and in the Philippines (1981), “In the faces of the poor I see the face of Christ. In the life of the poor I see reflected the life of Christ. . .Jesus said that in the final analysis he will identify himself with the disinherited—the sick, the imprisoned, the hungry, the lonely. . .Keep Jesus Christ in your hearts and you will recognize his face in every human being. You will want to help him out in all his needs: the needs of your brothers and sisters.” Epiphany.
If you have never had an epiphany in your faith journey, maybe you haven’t asked a question.
Ask, see, and act.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC