Solemnity of the Epiphany January 7, 2024
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
The bells in a church are symbols of the angels. Because church bells are rung to call people to prayer, they carry the message of God to the world just as angels do. I don’t think I knew that when I was in college at UL, but when I would hear the bells of Our Lady of Wisdom ringing across campus, something in me did know. Those bells carried to me the message of God. They proclaimed to me that Christ is king and that I was holding something back from my king.
So, I can relate to King Herod who, when he heard the news of the Magi, “was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” They too were reluctant to hand over their sinful lives to the rulership of the newborn king proclaimed by an angel.
I say it was proclaimed by an angel for two reasons: One is that the word “angel” simply means messenger. So, the Magi were messengers for God, making them “angels” in the generic sense, even though they remain human beings. The other reason I mention angels is that the star seen by the Magi was probably an angel. People use stars to guide their travel, but it’s not like we can use a single star to figure out the address of a one home inside a crowded town.
To get that specific, you’d need something a whole lot closer than a literal star. Since scripture in other places describes angels as “stars,” it makes sense that what the Magi followed to find the baby Jesus was an angel with the appearance of a star. That’s why we put either an angel or a star on top of Christmas trees and nativity scenes.
I fled the bells of the Church on campus because I didn’t want to surrender my unhealthy relationships. Herod and his allies in Jerusalem didn’t want to surrender their wealth, power, and superficial peace. But we know how this story ends, don’t we? Herod’s attempt to kill the child Jesus and keep his power fails.
Yet, what happens to the Magi? They are blessed, forever remembered as the first gentiles to enter into God’s saving plan. They are protected, sent angels to keep them away from the treacherous Herod. By giving themselves to Christ, they actually save their lives and are able to return to the east with news of great joy. When I finally stopped running from the angelic call of those bells and laid my broken heart at the feet of Jesus Christ, I was set free. Every gift I’ve given him since then has made me richer, not poorer. I know the same is true for many people here. Yet you and I both know there’s still more to give.
What, then, is our response when we hear the angelic call of Christ our king? Whether it’s our conscience, a sermon, a moment of insight, or some other messenger, how often do we respond with the fear and selfishness of Herod? How often do we refuse to take a closer look at this or that Church teaching, at this or that passage of scripture, at this or that relationship because we’re afraid that, once we know what we’re supposed to change, we’ll no longer have any excuses?
Yet, the truth is that and no amount of willful ignorance will save us from the consequences of our actions. The fact is that the angels are there. We have been given the opportunity to know better. Jesus is born. He is the rightful king of our lives and there’s nothing we can do to change that. All we can do is decide whether we’ll resist his reign like Herod or embrace it like the Magi. And each of the gifts they bring – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – serve as a helpful symbol of what it means to give our lives to God instead of rejecting him.
Gold is the symbol of wealth and power. We all have to make money to provide for ourselves, but we can also fall into the trap of making money to glorify ourselves. Being wealthy can bring a false sense of self-sufficiency. It can be used to escape the worldly consequences of our sins. It can be used to control the lives of others. To combat this, we must cultivate the attitude of always seeing money as a means to an end. The point of making money is to use it, to spend it on the glory of God and the good of others. Do so freely and abundantly.
Frankincense is the symbol of worship. Yes, you “have to” go to confession and Mass and keep all the other precepts, but that cannot be the only reason you do them. Strive to give yourself to prayer and the sacraments rather than simply letting it be dragged out of you. When the Magi went to find the new king, it was an obligation, but not just an obligation. They chose it for themselves even if the original choice was made for them. Our lives consist of billions of choices that were made for us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have the power to also make those choices for ourselves.
Finally, there is the myrrh, a symbol of funerals and death, a foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion. Many of the choices made for us are the things that cause us to suffer. Though we are right to relieve suffering and injustice when possible, we must accept that there are many we can never fix. Our call is not just to endure these trials, but to embrace them, to offer them as gifts to God even when they are things that were chosen for us first. In particular, our culture struggles with this especially when it comes to the trials of old age. Having lived lives of relative success and self-sufficiency, it is very hard for most of us to accept infirmity, weakness, and dependence.
Y’all, God made getting old hard on purpose. One of the most important lessons of Christianity is total dependence on God. God often uses dependence on other people to teach us that. So many people do a good job of turning over their gold and frankincense to God. They live generous lives of service, full of prayer and the sacraments. But when their health and control begin to fade, they forget that God wants that too. He doesn’t just want your success, he wants your weakness, your humility, your acceptance of a plan that is not your own.
It’s easy to see how our money and work benefits the world. It’s a profound act of faith to trust that accepting our infirmity and offering it to God can benefit the world even more. Jesus’ Crucifixion and resurrection is worth more than all his other miracles combined. The invitation, the challenge for us is to trust that the disintegration and decay of our mortal lives can have that same power, if we embrace it and hand it over to God.
So, do not fear old age or even the possibility of serious illness at a young age. Do not fear weakness, dependence, or even a failing mind. These trials are like angels calling you to give yourself to the Lord. These trials are the myrrh you can lay at the king’s feet. Do not be afraid, because it is God who knows how much gold, frankincense, and myrrh to place in your lives for you to give back to him. He only gives you what is best for your salvation. You may not be able to “handle” it, but accepting that weakness can be part of the offering too. Don’t worry about figuring out the right balance of the three. Rather, simply heed the call of the angels, the messengers of God in your life. Rejoice in your king, be grateful for his gifts, and lay before him whatever you have. Yet, do not focus too much one what you have; for God did not send angels to take our stuff away from us, but to take us, to bring us home. Because what God wants most from you… is you.