Feast of the Epiphany: God made known to us

Read the Scriptures for the Feast of the Epiphany here

Spirituality is a broad concept containing many perspectives, but, in general, involves a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves and a search for meaning in life. It is rooted in a universal human experience. A spiritual experience may be sacred, transcendent or simply a deep sense of alive interconnectedness. Americans increasingly describe themselves as spiritual, not religious. Faith is something beyond spirituality. Faith is putting your trust in the God that reveals himself in history. Faith is not agreeing with yourself; faith draws you beyond yourself. You cannot have faith or trust in the God you do not know. The Feast of the Epiphany is the recognition that God has made himself known to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We call this ‘revelation.’ We did not seek Jesus; he came to seek us out. St. John’s Gospel says,

“ No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.” Jn. 1:18

Isaiah: God will draw all peoples to himself
God reveals himself in history. The Old Testament is the history of the people of God, Israel, as they understood it within the culture of their own time. The prophet Isaiah following the tradition of a number of prophets, foretold that people of all nations would be drawn to the God of Israel.

 “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” Is. 60:1-3

The Christian apostles took the God of Israel and proclaimed to the world. The Epiphany is a way of telling the history of how that came about.
 
The Feast of the Epiphany: People from the east are drawn to God
An epiphany is “a moment of sudden revelation or insight.” We use the term to describe the revelation of the Incarnation of God to the world. Pope Benedict wrote:

“The key point is this: the wise men from the east are a new beginning. They represent the journeying of humanity toward Christ. They initiate a procession that continues throughout history. Not only do they represent the people who have found the way to Christ: they represent the inner aspiration of the human spirit, the dynamism of religions and human reason toward him.” Pope Benedict XVI. Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (Kindle Locations 1129-1132). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Religion is not divisive and unnecessary; humans are divided and resist what brings us together. Division runs throughout our culture. There are different schools of philosophy, psychology and almost any other discipline. The human search for truth always involves the tensions between the perspectives of different seekers. Spirituality is something everyone pursues on their own terms and is, by its nature, a fragmented pursuit. Christ is not someone we made up, but the revelation of God’s intentions and purposes for the human person. Religion is the tradition and example of those believers who have gone before us and whose testimony helps on our way to union with God. Paul, Peter, Augustine, Aquinas, Therese of Lisieux are all guides. Our faith brings us to more than an experience of common spiritual concerns, but to an encounter with the person of Christ in the church, the scriptures and the sacraments. We should all be distrustful of spirituality that normalizes division and directs us to mutually exclusive goals.
 
Revelation: God speaks and acts in history
God does dwell in all things; nature, science and human experience. But, the difference between encountering Christ in the communion of the Church and encountering your version of God on the golf course or nature park is that, here at St. Mark Parish, God is a personal and living God. He is present in his body here assembled, the scriptures and the Eucharist. At no time did our Lord, the epiphany of God, say that a golf course was his body. He did say that about the Eucharist. God is not a distant and abstract force. Jesus is the revelation of God that makes a personal appeal to us and makes demands upon us. Spiritual seekers find God on their own terms, but Jesus Christ is not available to us on our own terms.
 
God is a person who speaks and acts in history; we know his mind and purpose. God seeks us, we don’t seek God. Truth is given to us whether we agree to it or not. The more spirituality sounds like American culture, the more doubts about it you ought to explore. The Romans and the Greeks were, as are we, skeptical of claims to the truth about God. For them, there were a variety of gods that you call on. St. Paul who lived in that original age of the spiritual seeker, but not believer wrote,

“… as it is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:15

 Consecration to the Holy Family: This personal God, Jesus of Nazareth, entered human culture in a family. We pray that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the family God chose, may guide all of our families to imitate the Holy Family in glorifying God through their family. So we pray:

 O Lord Jesus,
you lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. There you grew in age, wisdom and grace
as you prepared to fulfill your mission
as our Redeemer.
We entrust our family to you.

O Blessed Mary,
you are the Mother of our Savior.
At Nazareth you cared for Jesus
and nurtured him in the peace and joy of your home. We entrust our family to you.
O Saint Joseph,
you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary, and gave us a model of fatherhood
while showing us the dignity of work.
We entrust our family to you.

Holy Family,
we consecrate ourselves and our family to you. May we be completely united
in a love that is lasting, faithful
and open to the gift of new life.
Help us to grow in virtue,
to forgive one another from our hearts,
and to live in peace all our days.
Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need. May our home, O Holy Family,
truly become a domestic church
where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

 









Welcome: What Is It? A personal and parish renewal process that is designed to bring members of our parish together in Christ. You do not need to be an expert in theology or the bible in order to participate. You are free to share as much or as little as you desire. There is ample time for fellowship, prayer, songs, laughter, and personal reflection. Feel connected with our Parish Community. Invitation Weekend is this weekend so look for Team Members in green shirts who will be at all Church exits and in the Courtyard ready to give you a brochure that will answer all your questions. Women’s Weekend: February 16-17 Men’s Weekend: March 2-3