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Mt. 2/1-12 |
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| Background: During the early years of Christianity, the Greeks celebrated the incarnation as a festival of the "manifestation" (epiphanos) of God in Jesus on January 6 while the western Church celebrated it as the feast of Jesus’ birth on December 25. Eventually the two feasts became combined. In the west the time between them became "Twelfth Night" as in the "Twelve Days of Christmas." This lovely custom has been eroded by our modern practice of starting the Christmas celebration at Thanksgiving or more recently at November 1. The liturgists, never too swift, destroyed the custom altogether (as well as violating more than a millennium of history) by making "Little Christmas" a wild card always to be celebrated on a Sunday. They also eliminated the three "manifestations" of Jesus - to the kings, at his baptism in the Jordan, and at the marriage feast of Cana. All that remains is the Festival of the Kings, twelve if we are to accept the Greek version (are there not twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles?). The "kings" who were more likely astrologers tell us a story of Jesus coming for all humankind, a story with richer and deeper implications today than at the time of the Gospels. |
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Story: Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a young man and woman, both very successful in their careers, fell in love but were hesitant about committing to marriage. Each separately feared that marriage might mean babies. Their business and social lives were so full that they could not imagine factoring in parenthood. When they finally discussed this concern, they also agreed that there was no need for them to add to the overpopulation warning data. And so they married and continued their frenzied life style. After several years, much to their surprise and careful planning, something went awry. She became pregnant. They attacked this "problem" they same way they dealt with a crisis in their careers. They planned the problem away. They would hire a nurse for the time immediately after the birth of the baby. After that, they would employ two full-time, live in, nannies. She would be free to return to her normal lifestyle within a month of the baby’s birth. Problem solved. They never anticipated their reaction to the arrival of "the most wonderful baby ever born." They immediately fell in love with the little one and she soon became the focus of their every free minute. Indeed they began to curtail some of their business and social activities, realizing that many of these were not essential to their careers. Could it have been, they wondered, that all their involvement had been over involvements that made them feel important. Could it be that this delightful little girl was waking them up to what was really important? |
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