Jan. 6, 2013: Epiphany
I had a profound conversation this week with a grandmother who was taught by nuns in a Catholic school, went to confession with her class monthly, and has attended mass regularly all her life since she was little. That was the culture of her day. Her question was, why are her children and grandchildren who went to Catholic schools all their lives now indifferent about their faith. Some seldom come to church; some have abandoned it altogether. Why?
I reflected on that question, “Why?” I wondered why I, who was baptized Catholic when I was 6, was an altar boy from second grade to fourth grade, went to mass regularly before coming to the United States, and was confirmed when in high school, fell away from the faith so precipitously to the point that I lived not like a man who believed in God, but like a man who confidently disproved God’s existence. Was it a case of “familiarity breeding contempt” where having too much religion convinced me of the shortcomings and defects of religion?
The Gospel offers us an insight. In their thirst for knowledge of God, the wise men from the East willingly left everything, their home and country, in pursuit of that quest. When they met King Herod to inquire about the whereabouts of a newborn King of the Jews, they encountered a man who had no desire and no thirst for God. In fact, the newborn King that the Magi inquired about was a threat to Herod’s familiar and comfortable way of life.
When I think about my younger days, I wonder if I even had the desire to learn about God. In high school my preoccupation was music, girls, and making the grades for college. In college, I was preoccupied with making the grades so that I would be noticed by companies and get hired. When I was working, I was about building a career. I chased after lofty things, but it didn’t get me to the truth of reality. The epiphany came for me in a pitch dark night on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. As I was walking underneath the stars, I wondered to myself, “What have I been chasing all my life? Did I chase after empty promises? What is the most important thing that I need to know?” As I stared at the stars that lit the sky, I felt so small in the great cosmos. Yet I also had a realization, or epiphany, that despite the vastness of the universe, God created little me with great love and care. He wanted to reveal himself to me through his Son, and I had ignored him for a long time. The gift of that star-lit night was humble self-knowledge.
A humble self-knowledge is a surer way to God than a search after deep learning. Certainly, it is not wrong to pursue learning, for since it comes from God it is good; but at the same time, we need to lead a virtuous life. Not only are we adults chasing after lofty goals, but we are also teaching our children to do the same without teaching them that faith and family life are among those goals. On the day of we die, Jesus will not ask us how many houses we have built, or assets that we have accumulated, but rather how we have loved God, neighbor and family. We may be trying to make a name for ourselves in our careers but do we honestly think that in 50 or 75 years that we will be remembered? Others will come along and our ‘fame’ will be supplanted and we will scarcely be remembered in the office, plant or boardroom.
The wise men stand for all who are ready to break out of their routine and comfort zone and go in search of what’s truly important. The challenge is that we may have to change or give up our passing preoccupations. To know and encounter Jesus Christ is to know God personally, and this is the most important pursuit in our life. Let us pray today that we will have a deeper thirst to know Jesus, and the desire to help others know him too!
I reflected on that question, “Why?” I wondered why I, who was baptized Catholic when I was 6, was an altar boy from second grade to fourth grade, went to mass regularly before coming to the United States, and was confirmed when in high school, fell away from the faith so precipitously to the point that I lived not like a man who believed in God, but like a man who confidently disproved God’s existence. Was it a case of “familiarity breeding contempt” where having too much religion convinced me of the shortcomings and defects of religion?
The Gospel offers us an insight. In their thirst for knowledge of God, the wise men from the East willingly left everything, their home and country, in pursuit of that quest. When they met King Herod to inquire about the whereabouts of a newborn King of the Jews, they encountered a man who had no desire and no thirst for God. In fact, the newborn King that the Magi inquired about was a threat to Herod’s familiar and comfortable way of life.
The wise men stand for all who are ready to break out of their routine and comfort zone and go in search of what’s truly important. The challenge is that we may have to change or give up our passing preoccupations. To know and encounter Jesus Christ is to know God personally, and this is the most important pursuit in our life. Let us pray today that we will have a deeper thirst to know Jesus, and the desire to help others know him too!
