Reflections: Behold Your King
Epiphany
Last Friday (January 6) we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, traditionally known in Ireland as Nollaig na mBan or Women's Christmas. Our brothers and sisters in the Eastern Orthodox Churches still celebrate the actual birth of Christ on this day. We associate the Epiphany with the day on which the wise men from the east came bearing gifts to present to Mary's new born child. The word itself is Greek in origin and means a manifestation or showing forth. So on this day we celebrate the breaking of Bethlehem's narrow boundaries and Jesus being revealed to the rest of the world as Emmanuel, God with us. We never hear of the wise men again in the gospels after they return to their own lands, but perhaps we could think of them as the first missionaries bringing the good news with them that God has come to free all humanity, and in doing so has chosen to be one like us. In his poem, The Journey of the Magi, TS Eliot imagines the Wise Men returning to their kingdoms having been completely changed by their experience in Bethlehem:
"We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods."
Yes the coming of the Christ-child changes everything. What went before is truly an old dispensation and when we are caught up in the new creation heralded by Christ's birth we will certainly be ill at ease in a world filled with injustice, oppression and violence. We will certainly feel ill at ease in a society that clutches on to economic ideas which harm vulnerable, weak and hard pressed people in the name of an economy or a market that has to be clutched onto and protected like some sort of deity.
Challenging times
So in this New Year of 2012 we face many challenges on many fronts and the temptation is to feel crushed by the magnitude of the task we all face. Our new president has already asked us to engage in building a new vision of Ireland which will be formed by the best of our modern society but leavened and shaped by our ancient wisdom and culture. This is a vision with so much more breadth and depth than the superficial and ultimately fragile vision of Ireland which sprung up in the Tiger years.
The economy remains in a perilous state and many families, especially young families will continue to live with the fierce pressure that economic uncertainty brings. Negative equity, rising prices, more taxes, less job security and the air ticket to America or Australia are realities for too many people as we begin 2012.
In all of this the temptation might be to turn inwards and seek only to help myself - an entirely natural reaction. But Ireland and the Irish have always been at their best when they are outward looking, when we are in solidarity with our local communities, when we strive to make them better by giving of our time and talent.
Communities marked by a spirit of service and volunteerism are the ones which will help protect the vulnerable and hard-pressed.
Crisis and renewal
In 2012 the church in Ireland faces huge and some would like to think, insurmountable challenges. However this coming year should see important developments in the ongoing process of renewal. On the Feast of the Epiphany Pope Benedict ordained the Irish-American Msgr Charles J. Brown to the episcopacy in order for him to take up his mission as Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. Over the next few months the reports of the Apostolic Visitations to Ireland's dioceses, seminaries and religious orders will be published along with recommendations. Already pastoral areas around the diocese of Kilmore have been engaged in listening exercises with Bishop Leo O'Reilly in order to plot a way forward, so while there is a crisis of faith in Ireland as in much of the rest of Europe, there are seeds of hope.
A few days ago one of my friends on facebook posted the following comment: "If I was going to save the world I'd never have thought this up: a baby, a vulnerable, helpless baby. What an answer, what a wonderful answer to our arrogance, power and pride."
As economists, politicians, church goers and as a people perhaps this is the most precious lesson that the Epiphany can teach us.
A very Happy New Year to you all.
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