Gospel Roundup

 GOSPEL ROUNDUP (EPIPHANY)

Christmas Joy continues with celebration of the Feast of the Ephiphany. 'Ephiphany' is derived from the Greek verb 'to appear'. The Greeks used the word to speak of the appearance of dawn or of a god.

   The Estern Church speaks of Ephiphany as one of the great Manifestations of Christ, along with the Baptism and the Transfiguration. On each of these occasions, the divinity of Christ is revealed to those looking upon his human form.

   You can imagine the effect on the ordinary human people surrounding the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph her carpenter husband and the sherpherds, when a group of wealthy wise men from the East arrive with their camels and servants.

   Mary knows in her heart, thanks to the Archangel Gabriel, that God is doing something really special in the person of the little baby in her arms. But does she fully understand at this point? And Joseph? His heart has also been set at peace by an angel in dreams, but Joseph sees an ordinary baby, lying in Mary's arms; he sees the feeding-trough they are using as a cradle, the cave with the animals around.

   And the shepherds? They also know something special is happening, but the also see an ordinary baby boy.

   And us? What can we learn from this feast as we too, in our imaginations stand watching the Three Wise Men? 

   They bring gifts to the greatest gift humankind and the whole cosmos has ever had from God: God giving himself to us in the person of His Son out of love. God does not wait for us to find our uncertain way to Him - He comes looking for us in a way that we can only love - a baby.