I too, have returned from the east. Last night, I returned from two weeks in Edinburgh, Scotland. And I too, traveled with a few wise men, two brother priests. After four years here at St. Ignatius, you may have noticed that I enjoy traveling a bit: seeing new places, tasting new foods, seeing how different cultures go about their day-to-day life, and the art and architecture they have produced. It’s a chance to glimpse how God has worked and is working around the world.
Years of study preceded the Magi’s journey from the East—these pagan scholars studied the Hebrew Scriptures and the known astrological charts and set out to follow the star which signaled the birth of the King of Kings, whose reign of goodness, peace, and justice would be eternal. And follow the star they did. Coming to Jerusalem they first met a real imposter of a king, King Herod, just like many of us, in our journeys, encounter so many imposters to God.
The wise men then continued their journey to Bethlehem, the little town in which King David was born and raised. And there in Bethlehem they found the newborn heir of David, the Savior whom the prophets foretold, they brought him gifts, and worshiped and adored him.
They searched for the savior—through study, through the exhaustion of a thousand-mile journey. And upon finding him, they worshipped and adored.
Finally, they return to their home country, by a different route, having been warned to avoid Herod’s treachery.
You’ve no doubt heard the famous reflection that “of course they go back a different route, you never come to Christ and go back the same way you came.” The encounter with Christ changes you.
Throughout Christian history we have countless stories of people from all over the world who begin life one way, and upon encountering Christ, their lives are changed forever.
Think of those first called by the Lord—Peter, Paul, Andrew, and James. They began life as fishermen, but meeting Christ, encountering him, their lives were changed forever. They went from ordinary Galilean fishermen to miracle working world missionaries and martyrs!
Saint Paul, too, remember, was a stringent adherent of the Jewish law who put Christian converts to death. But upon the road to Damascas, Paul encountered Christ, and his life was changed forever.
There have been cutthroats, crooks, trollops & bigamists, war-mongers, shard sharks and con men, devil-worshippers and atheists who have not only converted to Christ, but who have become saints—men and women who began life one way, far from any semblance of righteousness, but who were led grace to follow a star, and came to know, love, adore and worship Jesus Christ as God and Lord.
One of my favorite sinners turned saints is the great St. Augustine. Augustine, remember, rejected his mother’s Catholic faith for many decades. In his youth, he engaged in thievery and promiscuity, in his college years, he joined a cult and promoted heresies about God. “It was sinful and I loved it” was his motto for many years. And yet, his heart remained restless, he was not satisfied with those imposters. He yearned for Truth, he yearned for Christ.
He searched and he listened. And the Epiphany for Augustine came through the preaching of the holy bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, who inspired Augustine to pick up the Christian Scriptures. And picking up the Bible, Augustine came upon a powerful line from St. Paul. “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness . . . . But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh "
Augustine says that reading that verse caused the light of faith to flood into his heart and the darkness of his doubts were dispelled. Augustine prepared for baptism, and was later ordained a priest and bishop.
Our Church history, our parish history is full of such stories of life changing Epiphanies. Many of you, no, have been led on journeys, which started in doubt and sin, but ended in faith? Thanks be to God.
Each year, I have the honor of working with such journeying souls in our RCIA program. And they often enter RCIA because they have heard Christ or glimpsed Christ in our Catholic worship, or witnessing Catholics putting their faith into action in works of charity, witnessing Catholics standing up for the truth in this morally ambiguous culture, or they have received a book or had a conversation with a Catholic that challenged them to question their opposition to Catholicism. Catholics doing what Catholics are supposed to be doing has led to countless epiphanies for those seeking Christ.
But epiphanies are not just for the uninitiated. God wants to continue to reveal Himself to each of us—to help us deepen our faith, hope, and love for Christ. And that happens, how? It happens through prayer, daily prayer. Daily we must pray, kneeling at the crib of Bethlehem, kneeling at cross, kneeling and the throne of our King. Faith, hope, and love are deepened by picking-up the scriptures like St. Augustine, and meditating on those timeless words, considering what it means for us to "put on christ" and to "make no provision for the flesh". Faith, hope, and love are deepened through selfless works, and pilgrimages, and holy conversations with strangers, and acts of kindness.
Seek an Epiphany every time you come to Mass. Seek an Epiphany every day. Seek to be renewed in that holy desire to fall down before the Lord in worship and adoration, and to be changed by him for His purposes, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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