Excitement. Uncertainty. Fear. Joy. Danger. These are the five emotions present in the Gospel of the magi’s visit. The magi were excited at the star’s rising, but they arrived in Jerusalem uncertain about where to go next. King Herod grew “troubled” or afraid at the news of the child’s birth because he knew that this child was to be the Messiah who would replace him on the throne of Israel. Upon entering the house in Bethlehem where the child was, they were overjoyed at seeing the child with his mother and they presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Finally, the angel appears to both Joseph and the magi, warning them of the danger of Herod, causing the magi to return by another route and Joseph to flee to Egypt with the child and his mother.
Your Christmas may have been wonderful, but you probably experienced many of these same emotions. Fear of the newest virus strain, excitement while buying presents and planning parties. Uncertainty on who and how many should attend parties together. The joy of being together and going to church to celebrate. The danger you placed yourself or your family in due to the pandemic or even the rising violence in Chicago. No matter what emotions you had during the Christmas season, I know that these five emotions will once again be front and center for our parish in the year ahead.
The Epiphany is first about evangelization. The star rising is telling the world that Christ is born. It is an evangelizing, even if natural, phenomenon. Nature itself reflects and proclaims the glory of God, so it is no wonder that the magi would have interpreted this star as a message from God. They go on their journey to encounter Jesus. While on their way, they meet resistance from Herod as well as the calm of finding the Child Jesus with His mother. The journey and the encounter changes them, so they return by another route. This is evangelization.
Whenever the topic of evangelization comes up, whether in a parish setting or even when the diocesan priests are talking about it, there is an excitement to begin as well as the uncertainty of what will happen. The biggest emotion in any conversation about evangelizing is fear. People and even the priests are afraid that they do not know enough of their faith to communicate precisely what we believe. They are afraid that they will not be able to counter arguments against the Church, and they are afraid they do not know the Bible well enough to “do battle” with our evangelical neighbors. They also speak of the “danger” of evangelizing, can we win people, will it hurt other ministries, many neighborhoods are dangerous. What should be first on their minds is often last: the joy of speaking about our Lord.
Secondly, the Epiphany is about Stewardship. The magi are pointed to as examples of those who give precious gifts to the Child Jesus while challenging us to be equally generous in our church offerings. But considering Stewardship also brings with it these emotions—the excitement of generosity in faith, the uncertainty of what we need to sacrifice to give more to God, the fear of not having enough or of a bill we cannot afford to pay, and the danger of falling into debt because we are TOO generous (not likely!). Above all, it is the Joy of trusting God that makes Stewardship an incredible experience.
This year, we must work together to evangelize our neighborhoods and practice Stewardship to strengthen our parish. We will experience many emotions to do so, but if we trust God, above all else, we will feel Joy!