The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Epiphany. Manifestation. Revelation.
Today’s feast is one of my favorites of the year, because it calls to mind all the ways in which our God makes himself little and reveals himself to us - you and me - personally. A star guided the Magi to the place where Jesus was - our God used an ordinary, everyday sign in the night sky to lead them to his Son. How incredible is that?! The Magi would have been familiar with the patterns of the stars. They would have known them like the back of their hands. They were constantly gazing upward, studying the sky - and they had heard rumours of the Jewish Messiah coming. Our God, in His tender mercy and in His deep understanding of the human heart met them where they were at. He knew what it would take to get their attention. He used the object of their desires to lead them closer to Him.
As the splendor and glory of the Christmas season draws to a close and we return to the rhythm of our lives, let us not forget the mystery which has been revealed to us - that God, in all times and everywhere, draws close to man. Like the Magi, may we have the eyes to see the ways God is speaking to us and may we not be afraid to seek His face in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives.
When we have the eyes to see and the courage to seek, we can be made aware of the fullness of His splendor in all things. We shall be made radiant at what we see, and our hearts will overflow with gratitude and we are more readily able to lay down our lives before Him - falling prostrate in adoration like the Magi. They laid down their lives and all they had - their finest gifts - in the presence of their God, because they knew it was the least they could do to pay Him homage.
The Magi’s journey can easily be overdramatized in my head. Yes, it was an arduous journey. Yes, it probably took months. Yes, they suffered. No, we’re probably not going to see a dancing star in the sky that will lead us to our destiny. But the way I see it, at the end of the day, they were three ordinary men who saw a sign, had the wisdom to understand it as coming from God, and the courage to do something about it. They packed their belongings, left their lives behind, and put one foot in front of the other. We are called to do the same.
As this new decade begins, let us walk confidently and unafraid, giving our small ‘yes’ to the Lord daily - one small, possible step at a time - and as we do, may we have the grace to recognize the little, everyday epiphanies of our Lord.
For everything that has been, thank you. And for everything that is to come, Yes.
Laurie Medina is a graduate of Texas A&M and a first year participant in the Echo Graduate Service program, through which she has been sent to work at a parish in Houston while working on her Masters in Theology through the University of Notre Dame. When she isn’t studying she loves spending time outside, having heart conversations over coffee, and finding beauty in the holy ordinary. You can find her curled up on the couch re-reading Joy of the Gospel, or arranging flowers on the dining room table. You can also find her on Instagram or read her latest blog posts for Life Teen.