The Most Reverend George V. Murry, SJ Bishop ofthe Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands

THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

Each year, at the beginning of January, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. Indeed, the story of the visit of the Wise Men is one of the most interesting in the Christian tradition. It contains colorful main characters: King Herod and the mysterious wise men from the East. It has a supporting cast of chief priests and lawyers.It has a natural (or supernatural) phenomenon: the new star that appears in the sky. And it has intrigue: the double-cross of the Wise Men planned by Herod and the warning to them in a dream to go back to their country by another route. Taken all together, this makes a very good story.

But as with any good story, this one leaves us with some unanswered questions. One of those is found in Matthew's Gospel and it occurs just after the court hears the Wise Men describe why they had come. "Herod the King and all of Jerusalem with him were afraid." Why were they afraid? Why were they afraid of a mere child?

The answer is located in the prophesy quoted in the same Gospel: Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are far from least in the eyes of the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a leader, a Messiah, who will shepherd my people Israel.

In other words, that mere child was the flesh and blood beginning of a new era, an era which would tum history on its head because that child was sent to liberate his people from the slavery of sin into true freedom. Considering the fact that Herod was in the business of oppression, he had every reason to be afraid.

Here we reach the heart of the matter. The feast of the Epiphany surely reminds us in the persons of the Three Kings that the salvation promised by God is for all, not just the ancient Chosen People. But there is also Good News here about Jesus, who he is and what he brings to us today.

The birth of Jesus is the first step toward the coming of the Kingdom of God that we pray for in the Our Father.

It is an infusion of the liberating love of God into ordinary human experience. Because God is with us (Emmanuel), those on the brink of despair now have reason for hope; those who have given up on life can come back to life; the lame can find the motivation to walk; the eyes of the blind can be opened and this Good News can be preached to the poor.

Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, pointed out the direction and set the pace for what will happen now that God has come to live among his people. As Catholic Christians, we are entrusted with carrying that message into our time, which means that we must change. We must live in the true freedom of Christ so as to be examples. We must let go of the apparent freedom of irresponsibility in relationships and take on the true freedom of commitment. We must forego the apparent freedom which comes from the excessive use of alcohol or the use of drugs, or to engage in sex on demand, to accept the true freedom that comes from the courage to say "no." Lastly, we must realize that freedom for me alone is only apparent freedom. Unless all are free, there can be no freedom at all.

Perhaps this Gospel frightens us as well. If so, we should remember the words of Jesus which were so often quoted by Pope John Paul II, "Do not be afraid." Strengthened by our community of faith, guided by the Word of God in the Scriptures and nourished through the Eucharist we share, we can come to live in true freedom; we can experience that change of heart which will make us a light to the nations.

St. Paul said it well: "I live. No, Christ lives in me." May the Christ who comes to make all things new, live in us and liberate us to true freedom and may we liberate others so that together we may grow more united, more hopeful and more free as we walk On the Road to Jerusalem.

THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER       *JANUARY 2007*     7