Epiphany By Fr Michael Plekon

We hear this word when someone has had an amazing experience or a breakthrough revelation. Coming down Yaqui Pass at sunset years ago, Jeanne had an epiphany about Borrego. That is why we got here and remain. There was an indescribable beauty to the sunset on the Santa Rosa mountains. Little did we know what would await us here, St. Barnabas, and so much more. 

The word is Greek and it means exactly what I just wrote, a seeing something you had never seen before, a revelation. On January 6, twelve days after Christmas, there is the feast of Epiphany. Scholars note it is a feast older even than Christmas, likely also tied to the new year and the beginning of longer days, more light. At first it was a celebration of the coming of God into the world, into space, time and humankind, what we now celebrate at Christmas. There were three important moments of revelation or showing that became linked with Epiphany. The first is the arrival of the wise men or three kings, following a star, at the place where the child Jesus, Mary and Joseph were staying. They were likely scholars from Persia, who saw in the star that they followed a sign of something wonderful happening. When they found the child Jesus, they worshipped him as God, offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were later linked to Jesus being both king and priest, the myrrh a foretelling of his death, as it was a burial spice. The wise men were not from Israel, they were outsiders, Gentiles. So, this was also a revelation of Jesus to the whole world beyond his own Jewish people. 

The second moment was the epiphany that occurred when Jesus was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. There was a voice from heaven that said “You are my beloved Son,” and a dove also appeared overhead. John realized as did some of his followers that this was no ordinary teacher but the one chosen to save the world, Jesus. That’s what “Jesus” means. Usually on the Sunday after Epiphany one or another account of Jesus’ baptism is read. 

Lastly, the first of Jesus “signs” is part of Epiphany. This was his changing water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee. Somehow, they’d run out of wine on the first day of the feast, a really horrendous situation. Mary, Jesus’ mother tells him of the embarrassment and pain, and Jesus tells the caterer to fill six huge stone jars with water and then take it to the head caterer. When he tastes, he exclaims this is the best wine ever. So, the revelation is that with Jesus’ arrival, we have God with us, as one of us. God’s ways or kingdom are going to be put into practice, first by Jesus, then by us all. 

While these are beautiful moments, there are epiphanies every day too many to number: that you made someone smile, fell cared for, forgiven. That food was shared, that you lent an ear to someone’s pain, shared someone’s worry, or their joy. What a good way to start the new year

--Epiphany