SEEING BEYOND WHAT WE SEE
The Greek
word ‘epiphany’ is not one we use every day.
Orthodox Christians and, to a lesser degree, Catholics, use it to
describe the “showing” of Jesus to the world.
People came “from the east” – an expression that suggests the idea of
‘far’, beyond the known world – to worship the new-born child. The whole world will soon hear of him and
today there must hardly be a corner left on earth which does not have some idea
of Jesus.
We can “see”
Jesus as a person. We can see him as God
revealed in this person. We grow in our faith by seeing him, as those around
him did at the time, moving through the gospels. We notice that they gradually saw him as more
than just Jesus of Nazareth. When
Nathaniel first heard of him he was sceptical. How could Nazareth produce
anyone significant? But when he meets
Jesus he is stunned. Jesus recognises
his astonishment and then pushes him further to promise an even greater
revelation.
2018 was a
humiliating year for the Catholic Church and Pope Francis experienced the full
weight of this. For five years he rode
high in the world’s esteem and gave hope, consolation and wise words to
millions. Catholics rejoiced and were
encouraged by his compassionate message.
But by 2018 the face that the Church turned to the world became scarred
and troubled. I was in Dublin when
Francis came to visit Ireland. People
lined the streets to see him pass and the city adjusted its normal ways to
accommodate the crowds and welcome him. But there was “heaviness” in the media
as it relentlessly reported the abuse of children and vulnerable adults by
priests and religious, together with the cover up of abuse by Church
leaders. Enmity and anger was focused on
this single person in white who had to absorb the blows and the piercing thorns
that crowned him.
We can speak
of the “enemies of the Church” and the “work of the devil” and no doubt there
are evil spirits eager to destroy the Church at every opportunity. But we can also see that this whole
experience of humiliation, this crisis, can be a moment of conversion and new
life. It is when we are at our lowest
that we are most open to change. All the
masks are removed. Power, tradition and
past glories are no help. We are flat on
the ground, bruised and broken.
This can be
the moment when new life appears.
Francis himself has often pointed to his desire for a “poor church for
the poor”. At last we are at a moment
when we can learn the meaning of the words, “Blessed are the poor in
spirit.” We are on the threshold of a
humbler, weaker, servant church. What we see with our eyes is a humiliated
Church such that we may feel ashamed to be associated with. But we are invited to look beyond what we can
see. The wise men returned to their
country by another route.
January 6, 2019 The Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-6 Matthew
2:1-12
