Rise Up! An Epiphany Reflection
/
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. What a promising proclamation! Our light has come! Emmanuel is with us! Rise in splendor! Rise up from any hopelessness. Rise up from any anxiety. Rise up from despair, from depression, from negativity, from anger, from anything that binds you. Rise up! The glory of the Lord has come to earth to be with us for eternity. Rise up, that glory shines upon you.
I love this feast of Epiphany! We used to call it Little Christmas, and in some places, gifts are exchanged to commemorate the feast of the three kings who brought their gifts from afar to the infant savior. Epiphany really has nothing to do with receiving gifts though. It means “manifestation,” which is what those kings experienced upon finding the newborn Messiah. It was an illuminating discovery, a moment when they suddenly understood. A very old timey expression was “eureka.” Today we proclaim “a-ha,” when we experience a moment of realization, or suddenly become conscious of something important. Epiphany moments, we call them!
What this feast and these readings let us know is that Emmanuel lives. The story of the visit by the kings and their gift-giving took place long ago. What gifts do we bring to the Christ who reigns on high? No gold, frankincense or myrrh does the Eternal God need! What God desires is our love, our kindness to others, our compassion for those who suffer, our attention to those who feel ignored or discarded. God desires our openness to the gift of love that God has for each of us.
As a Sister of Divine Providence, I am called to be a messenger of hope. This feast reminds me that those wise men who traveled a great distance in following a star were filled with hope that they would arrive at their destination and see the Messiah. That hope supported them as they traveled and met with various obstacles along the way, including with the meeting they had with Herod. That hope gave them determination to leave by a different route to safeguard this new King. Their hope fulfilled propelled them after the manifestation. It makes me wonder what the rest of their story was—how were they messengers of hope? With whom did they share that Good News?
When I need an infusion of hope to share with others, I don’t have to look too far to find it. The beautiful Christmas story, Mary and Joseph, the manger scene, the shepherds, the kings, the baby born in a stable are all evidence of a hope stronger than anything the world could overcome. Happy Epiphany! May your gift to the Christ Child be one that strengthens and sustains you during the coming year!
For Reflection:
Have you ever had an epiphany moment, an aha moment, a revelation? What was it like? What did you learn? How is the experience still with you?
Where are you finding hope these days? How are you a messenger of hope to those around you?
Maybe you could take a little time with God and see what God has to say to you on this feast of the Epiphany.
by Sister Barbara Rohe, CDP
Sister Barbara Rohe is a Sister of Divine Providence from Covington, Kentucky. She has served in a variety of ministries, including education, spirituality, pastoral care, and leadership. She currently serves as the Provincial Leader for the United States Province of Sisters of Divine Providence. She enjoys reading, cooking, and for sure, podcasting! Thank you, Sr. Barb, for reflecting with us for the Feast of the Epiphany!