Today Dr Andrew Kania concludes his two-part reflection on the nature of Epiphany. We speak of God giving light to the world and Jesus giving true light to every person (as in John 1:9) but what does this all mean in practical terms? This reflection contains some thought provoking ideas from the likes of Marco Polo, Thomas Merton, Yves Congar as well as Andrew himself.

An interpretation of the Magi story...

See the Wikipedia page on "The Travels of Marco Polo"

In The Travels of Marco Polo, the following story is told. Having seen the star, the Magi set out from their homes. Knowing nothing more than that the astronomical wonder heralded the birth of a special child, Gaspar, Baltasar and Melchior purchased gold, frankincense and myrrh. They reasoned that if the child chose, gold, he would be an earthly king; if he chose frankincense, then he must be God; if he chose myrrh, he must be a healer. When the Magi arrived at Bethlehem, the youngest of the three went into the cave. To his surprise, there was no child in the manger, but a man of his own appearance and age. The second of the Magi, a man older than the first walked in, to his amazement also he was met by a man of his own age and appearance. Likewise, the last of the Magi, an old man, came to the cave, and he too found that he was greeted by a man identical to himself. Outside of the cave they spoke to one another of what had occurred to each as they walked into the cave. They decided to all go in together — when they did, they were met by a child — thirteen days old. Falling to the ground they offered the child: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The child took all three — indicating that he was not only a great king, and a great healer — but also God. In return the Child gave them a small casket, which the Magi took away with them on their return trip.

A few days later the Magi decided to open the casket. All that it contained was a stone. Not understanding the import of the gift, the Magi threw the 'worthless' stone into a well. As soon as they did this a rage of fire descended from the heavens and leapt into the well. Immediately the Magi took the light from this fire with them — and placed it in their places of worship; a reminder to them of the greatness of this Divine Child and the Light that is offered to the world through Him. They now understood that greatness is not enslaved by the values and perceptions of human beings — and that the gift of a stone from God — is worth all the gold and all the frankincense and all myrrh that the world can offer a person.

See the Wikipedia page on Thomas Merton

The great mystic Thomas Merton, recollects in the Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, how even he, a man so contemplative, introspective, had in fact been on a course to hypocrisy and spiritual death. There he was standing on a street corner in a shopping district; watching all the 'unspiritual' people going on their way leading their profane lives. At that moment a great light shone into his soul. For Thomas Merton realized that his 'holy' life and his monastic life of separation from these people, was an illusion. Merton writes:

"Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed … At the centre of our being is a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us". (Harmless, 2008, p. 31)

The illusions in our lives...

Our lives are so spent in illusions; we hate others for having been slighted by them, and in the course of time we perpetuate the hatred, long after the actual injury has been healed. We are jealous of others — for 'things' that they may have, even thoough these 'things' are temporal and are owned but for a breath in the scale of eternity. Houses are built and houses are demolished, even land — the ancient earth, survives the man who has worked decades to 'own' it — only to find immediately after the 'owner's' death an immediate replacement; such a harlot, land is; going from one lover to the next; going to him with the largest purse. Yet we are jealous of those who own land. Similarly we argue all our lives, for the sole purpose of having to later beg forgiveness on our deathbeds. All is illusion that does not belong to God. Billions have walked the earth covered by radiant natural light — but how many have understood that there is another Light, deep within, that lies as a spark, thirsting for the breath of the Spirit, by which to become enflamed.

Yves Congar

The natural light of this world, gives life — but only in order to sustain life; it is the Light that shines within the heart and soul of each individual that, if nurtured, goes beyond mere sustenance, and on to glory of the theosis (deification) of humanity. It is only when we voluntarily take the time, or are compelled to look at the course of our lives and examine the state of the Light within us, that we see no longer merely as creatures looking at what the sun illumines or hides in shadow, but realize that no darkness is as pitch on the face of this earth, as the pall that lies within the soul of a man, who believes that all there is to be had is that which can be held in the palm of his hand.

Every person requires an epiphany in their life in order to attain their highest self. Further still, the individual requires the Faith to which they subscribe to be not only the custodian of the Law, but a nurturer of the Spirit. For no man experiencing grief, seeks a library to console themselves. They seek a person — someone who like Christ, walks with them. All life events have the ability to be transformed through personal introspection — yet introspection is often times a painful process. The Church must be willing to see its members, not merely as finely-tuned and obedient athletes on an Olympic course sprinting the straightest path to salvation — but fallible creatures who not always make the right choices, and whose path from beginning to life's end, may not have so much a symmetrical pattern to it, as much as a certain general orientation toward goodness. This reality as Yves Congar so wisely wrote demands of the Church of the future a renaissance, for:

"What men needed then — what they always need — is to hear God's Word delivered as a new and living message. Something more is required than an accurate account of doctrine incorporated in ready-made forms that simply correspond to current ecclesiastical ritual and established modes of thought. The gospel must become, in its integrity, life and truth for men; it must enter into the mind and heart of men who are consubstantial with this world and yet possessed by Jesus Christ; of men who though set aside for his service, have not forgotten, the suffering nor abandoned the hopes of the world to which they are sent". (Congar, 1969, pp. 109 — 110)

The nature of Epiphany...

Be it the road to Bethlehem or on the road to Damascus — the experience of an Epiphany is different for each person — for the soil that the Light of God touches, is of a different mixture, not only from country to country, or from sibling to sibling, but from underneath one footstep from the next. The goal of the journey is the same — but where we begin the journey is vastly different, and how we experience the journey may bear similarity but not identity. The call is universal — but the choice is personal. As the Magi in Marco Polo's story — each one of us must search inside the cave — and peering in realize that when we look at God, we are actually looking at what we are called to be — our highest self. When we come together as a Church — we see God as He is; when we pray to Him by ourselves, we see God as we are.

With the Light from Light, we have a Sun that not only gives life — but gives life to its maximum; we have a Light that the darkness cannot comprehend, for the darkness thinks only in the here and now, and not the evermore; we have a Light that warms not only the individual on his porch experiencing contented metanoia, but also the unjustly imprisoned in the coldest gaol; we have a Light that illumines not only the steps to earthly victory, but shines brighter still on the individual totally crest-fallen. The Light came into the world — so that we may have Life to its fullest realization as St. John of Damascus espoused. But we have to look for the presence of this Light in our lives — and in the events that shape our lives. No less than those who two thousand years ago looked into the sky, and were illuminated and moved by the Spirit, so we too, must look, and stay awake, even through the Dark Night, as does the watchman, in order to see that unique star that points to the Way; the Way of Life and of Light — that is the path that God illuminates for us.

<<LINK TO PART I

Image Credits:
The title image is of a sunrise over the city of Sydney taken by Brian Coyne. Clicking on the image of St John Damascene in the commentary will take you to the original source and the Wikipedia page on St John Damascene.

Dr. Andrew Thomas Kania

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©2010Dr Andrew Thomas Kania

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