Epiphany is the unfolding of God’s
presence; it is the manifestation or the unveiling of the face of God!
God first made manifest his presence
through creation which we call the vestiges or the imprints of the
Trinity. It was God’s first epiphany! It was the outpouring of God's charity!
When Jesus was born, God made manifest
not just his imprints but his very face when he showed himself again to save creation by becoming a
creature himself. Through this epiphany, Jesus showed that his was the face
of mercy!
God offered Himself as a gift. How
did people respond to such a magnificent gift? The Israelites sneered and
rejected the gift; they would not even give him a room! Like the Israelites,
Herod did not just reject the gift but he did all he could to destroy it. The
magi who represented the Gentiles left their homes in search of “something
greater than themselves”. The star guided them in their journey.
(Those who honestly search for the meaning of life will always be guided by the
disguised presence of God be it through the persons they meet on the way or
through simple objects or even through insignificant events. Some of the
stars in our lives fade away in oblivion, we may even forget their names but
they continuously shine brightly in our hearts.) The magi offered the
baby their gifts; they searched for Jesus not to ask but to give gifts to him!
The next persons who saw first the face
of God were the shepherds because they were simple and pure of heart.
Like the magi, they were the first ones to proclaim the Word made flesh.
In the simplicity of their wisdom, they became the first prophets of the
Incarnation. Those who encounter God can not but become “evangelizers of
the Word” not only by preaching but in the witnessing of their ordinary
lives.
But the very first receivers of God’s
gift were Mary and Joseph; they were given the singular gift of gazing for the very
first time the face of God. One day, it
would break Mary’s heart to see that face again covered with blood.
Mary would have to give that gift to others as a supreme offering for to
withhold the gift is to perish. She teaches us that the supreme joy of
receiving will lead to the excruciating pain in giving. That is the true
essence of a gift.
God’s greatest gift is himself! He gives it through
many creative and unexpected ways, often in great surprises!
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