Epiphany Sunday
ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS
Sirach, Chapter 15, Verse 1
Whoever fears the LORD will
do this; whoever is practiced in the Law will come to Wisdom.
Practiced in the law means to follow the commandment of God and the
commandment of God is love. Your freedom is a gift from God but with it comes
human responsibility. God, who sees everything, is neither the cause nor the
occasion of sin. We have the power to choose our behavior and we are
responsible for both the good and the evil we do.
Deceivers
are those who hold the Lord responsible for their sins.
We can choose to harm or
we can choose to heal.
As the former Archbishop of Cape
Town, Desmond
Tutu became a leading human rights advocate who has championed causes such
as poverty, racism, homophobia, sexism, HIV/AIDS and war. He received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1989 and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In his
newest work, The Book of Forgiving (co-authored with his
daughter, Mpho Tutu), he offers four steps to forgiving and healing:
1.
Telling
the Story
2.
Naming
the Hurt
3.
Granting
Forgiveness
4.
Renewing
or Releasing the Relationship
Here, we discuss this process, how
his experiences with apartheid relate to it, and how he answers those who’ve
criticized it.
·
Your first step to forgiveness and healing is to “admit
the wrong and acknowledge the harm.”
Doesn’t that
just dredge up old pain? For both the offender and the
victim, the pain is there, often unacknowledged and that is when it can cause
harm through festering. When I ignore a physical wound, it does not go away.
No, it festers and goes bad. It may be initially painful
to open up a wound, but then it can be cleaned out and cauterized. And
you can pour a healing balm.
·
Another step you list is “asking for…and granting
forgiveness.”
How do you
forgive someone who doesn’t think they’ve done anything wrong?
That is a very important issue. If forgiving depended on
the culprit owning up, then the victim would always be at the mercy of the
perpetrator. The victim would be bound in the shackles
of victimhood. That is why forgiving is a gift to the forgiver as well as
to the perpetrator. As the victim, you offer the gift of your forgiving to the
perpetrator who may or may not appropriate the gift but it has been offered and
thereby it liberates the victim. Jesus prayed that His Father should forgive
the men who were nailing Him to the cross even as they were doing so; He even
found an excuse for them and so really offered His forgiveness thereby. He did
not wait until they asked for His forgiveness. Of course, it would have been
far better if they had been penitent and asked for His forgiveness. It was a
gift He was giving to Himself as well, which released Him from being filled
with self pity, an unhealthy psychological state. It would be grossly unfair to
the victim to be dependent on the whim of the perpetrator. It would make him or
her a victim twice over. The gift has been given. It is up to the intended
recipient to appropriate it. The outside air is fresh and invigorating and it
is always there. If you are in a dank and stuffy room you can enjoy that
fresh air if you open the windows. It is up to you.
·
RNS: In a post entitled, “Why Desmond Tutu is Wrong,”
Lesley Leyland Fields suggests that your notion that we forgive “for ourselves”
is “killing biblical forgiveness.” She says, “Biblical forgiveness is a gift
first to the offender and to Christ.” How do you respond?
I have already pointed how it is
important, very important to give oneself that gift, of letting go of
resentment and anger which diminish oneself. The self is quite important in who
we are. Jesus quoting the Torah answers the question, “Which is the greatest
law?” by saying, “The first is Thou shalt love The Lord thy God with all….” And
then He adds, “The second is, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. That is
the highest approbation one can hope for about a proper self-love. We know the
havoc that has been caused by those with a feeble self image, weak self esteem.
They will usually throw their weight around trying to fill the hollow inside
them. Offering forgiveness prevents us from being destroyed by a corrosive
resentment. It helps us grow in being magnanimous.
·
RNS: Fields also says that Biblical forgiveness is
“not about letting go of the past, but about redeeming the past.
If “redeeming the past” means “not
allowing the past to haunt you, to have a stranglehold on you” then I’m happy
to let her use her phrase.
·
RNS: You mention that sometimes the final step is “releasing”
rather than “renewing” the relationship. How do you know which is the right
path?
There are the fairly obvious ones:
an abusive relationship should be easy to identify though often one of the
most difficult to end; or one where you are likely to be misled into risky behavior–like
excessive drinking, experimenting with dangerous substances, etcetera. But
there are other more subtle ones such as friendships that can lead to
infidelity and other things.. In the end, we know the relationships we should
end.[1]
Catechism of the Catholic Church
III. THE LOVE OF HUSBAND
AND WIFE
2360 Sexuality is ordered to
the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of
the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds
between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament.
2361 "Sexuality, by
means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts
which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological,
but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is
realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by
which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death.
Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah, "Sister, get up, and let us pray
and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety." So she got up,
and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began
by saying, "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers. You made Adam, and for
him you made his wife Eve as a helper and support. From the two of them the
race of mankind has sprung. You said, 'It is not good that the man should be
alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.' I now am taking this
kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that she and
I may find mercy and that we may grow old together." And they both said,
"Amen, Amen." Then they went to sleep for the night.
2362 "The acts in
marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are
noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the
self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude."
Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure: The Creator himself established that
in the [generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment
of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this
pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At
the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of
just moderation.
2363 The spouses' union
achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and
the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot
be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromising the
goods of marriage and the future of the family.
The conjugal love of man
and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity
(faithful & fruitful).
Catholic Calendar[2]
Read:
The Epiphany marks the arrival of visitors, identified in Scripture as
magi, to the place where Jesus was born. Although we know virtually nothing
about them, we do know they brought three gifts:
·
Gold, a symbol of wealth and power, identifies
the recipient as a king.
·
Frankincense, the crystalized resinous sap of a
tree used as incense and as an offering, is symbolic of prayer.
·
Myrrh, another resinous tree sap, was used in
healing liniments and as an embalming ointment. Myrrh is an odd gift for a
child—so, even at the beginning of Jesus' life on earth, this gift foreshadows
his death.
Reflect:
Practice the ancient art of Lectio Divina today and reflect on the readings on the
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Pray:
Say a blessing on your home on the Epiphany.
Act:
Did you wish someone a Merry Christmas today? The Christmas season
continues until tomorrow, which is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. An
easy way to evangelize is to wish someone a Merry Christmas during the
Christmas season after December 25 and explain why. The liturgical season of
Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
The Three Kings[3]
The Gospel of Matthew
mentions only that several Magi
-- respected priestly scholars from Persia and other neighboring countries --
came to worship the Christ Child from the East. Tradition, however, has added a
few details: that there were three of them, that they were kings, and that their names were Gaspar, Melchior, and Baltasar.
Devotion to the three kings is a marked feature of Epiphany and was
traditionally encouraged in a number of ways. From Christmas onward, for
example, the figurines of the Magi,
which had been kept a distance from the crèche, were brought closer and
closer until it reached the crèche on
Twelfth-night. Another traditional observance was the solemn blessing of a home on the Feast of the Epiphany, after
which the initials of the Magi would be written on the frame of the door,
together with the year and several crosses that connected all of the letters
and numbers. There is even a special blessing
for the chalk in the Roman ritual.
Like Christmas, epiphany was a favorite time for caroling; and
like all great solemnities from the middle ages, epiphany encouraged mystery
plays. These were called magi plays and featured the story of the Nativity, the slaughter of the Innocents, and the visit
of the Magi. They were also quite boisterous: the character of Herod was
portrayed as a raving lunatic, wreaking havoc with his wooden spear: hence
Shakespeare's line about overacting-- "it out-herods Herod!" (Hamlet
III.ii). Variations of these mystery plays have survived into the present day.
And also like all great solemnities, Epiphany was a day
for great feasting. Though the dishes varied, one consistently popular customs
was Kings' or Twelfth-night cake, which included a small object that identified
its finder as the "king" for the day. Many countries also use this occasion
for the exchange of gifts.
Orthodox Christmas[5]
Well if you have not got
enough of the Christmas Season you can always celebrate with the Orthodox
Catholics.
Some Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on December
25th, but others mark the birth of Jesus on a variety of dates including
January 7th and January 19th. It depends on which calendar the particular
church follows - while western Christendom has adopted the Gregorian calendar,
some Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar to calculate the dates for
holy feast days. December 25th on the original Julian calendar falls on January
7th of our calendar. Most Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on this date;
however some churches, including Armenian orthodox Christians use the revised
Julian calendar and their Christmas falls on January 19th of our calendar.
While Christmas is a very important religious celebration for Orthodox
Christians, it falls second to Easter which they consider to be the most
important date in the religious calendar.
Religious Observance of Orthodox Christmas
Most believers in the Eastern Orthodox Church prepare
for Christmas with 40 days of fasting, continuing right up until late on
Christmas Eve Jan 6th.
·
Traditionally, when the first star appears on
Christmas Eve Eastern Orthodox Christians will break their fast with a
celebratory meal.
·
Also on Christmas Eve, traditionally Orthodox
Christians will cut a branch from a tree and bring it into their home, as a
symbol that Jesus is entering their house and their hearts.
·
A prayer and blessing will be said before the
Christmas Eve feast begins, and the head of the family will greet each person
present with the traditional Christmas greeting of 'Christ is born' to which the response is 'Glorify him!'. Then the bread will be torn by hand and shared with
all present. Some families will have straw scattered around the table, as a
reminder of Jesus's birth in the manger.
·
On Christmas Day, Orthodox Christians will
attend Divine Liturgy, which will usually be a little longer than usual due to
being an exceptional religious holiday. It is traditional to light candles in
honor of Jesus, as light of the world.
·
Afterwards people walk in procession to a sea,
lake or river. The water will be blessed as part of an outdoor ceremony, and
some people will take the blessed water back to their homes.
49
Godly Character Traits[7]
During
this Christmas season let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these
traits that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in
Christ. Today reflect on:
Self-Control vs. Self-indulgence
Instant obedience to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:24–25)
736 By
this power of the Spirit, God's children can bear much fruit. He who has
grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear "the fruit of the Spirit:
. . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control." "We live by the Spirit"; the more we
renounce ourselves, the more we "walk by the Spirit."
Through the Holy Spirit
we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as
children, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in
Christ's grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory.
1765 There
are many passions. The most fundamental passion is love, aroused by the
attraction of the good. Love causes a desire for the absent good and the hope
of obtaining it; this movement finds completion in the pleasure and joy of the
good possessed. The apprehension of evil causes hatred, aversion, and fear of
the impending evil; this movement ends in sadness at some present evil, or in
the anger that resists it.
1832 The
fruits of
the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits
of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them:
"charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity,
gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."
Daily
Devotions
·
Please pray for me and
this ministry
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