EPIPHANY is the manifestation of Christ to the entire gentile world - which the Magi symbolized.
These were very devout men who followed a star that seemed to them as a great sign that a great King was to be born in Israel.
Actually this was more than just a star; it was a conjunction of Jupiter and the Star Regulus: Jupiter and the Star Regulus were close enough to seem as one largest star that came to a stop over Bethlehem. How can Jupiter come to a stop? It does not really stop. But when it comes around in orbit and goes in the opposite direction, it seems to stop - at the precise time. So, that is the star that the Magi saw coming to stand still over Bethlehem. They followed this star and arrived at Bethehem to worship the New Born King.
If you were to look up the word "epiphany" in the dictionary, you will read: "Epipthany: January 6, the anniversary of the coming of the Three Wise Men to honor the infant Jesus at Bethlehem; Twelth day; Little Christmas...from the Latin: epiphania and the Greek: epiphaneia < epi (upon) and plainein (to show).
The second meaning is simply: "epiphany" n. pl. -nies. 1 anapperance or manifestation, especially of a deity. 2 Figurative. a sudden revelation or perception; an insight intothe essense of a thing; ..adj..epiphenomenal - of the nature of an epiphenomenon."
In this year of 2013, Epiphany - the religious Feast - falls on a Sunday, January 6. This is a Feast Day in which Jesus is made manifest to the World. The Magi came from the East to find the King born of the Jews. They found Him alright since the conjunction of the planet Jupiter and the star Regulus which are not superimposed but just close enough to appear as the largest star ever seen in the heavens. Jupiter was rounding its orbit so it appeared to steop over Bethlehem. Regulus would appear to be stopped as well since it was not a roaming star. This conjuction had to be planned from the Big Bang to that very moment to just happen at the time of Jesus' Birth. "The Heavens declare the glory of God" as the Psalmist said.
The gifts of gold, fankensene and myrr were gifts for a King..the myrr was for his burial. We all are born to live; but Jesus was born to die for us. So Epiphany is a great Feast where we like the Magi come to give our gifts...our talents and prayers and service to others...our gifts of love because Jesus would say: "What ever we do to the least of my brethren you did for me."
But what of our own personal epiphanies in which we experience God? First of all we need to look at a little theology of God. Even, atheists, listne up. God has total and perfect access to us. We have limited access to Him. We can pray to Him, carry on a conversation, see Him in His creation of nature and even in our own bodies. But His Spirit is so magnificent that we just do not have the software to access Him fully. But He can access our spirits totally whenever He wishes. When He does contact a soul, this is called "infused contemplation". There is not mistaking this epiphenomenal experience. No one can induce this experience. It is clearly a meeting of God in our own life than cannot be explained by psychology or self inducement. God simply decides to say, "Hello" His own unique way. He knows how much we can take. So, He keeps the experience down enough as not to blow us entirely away. Sometimes His contacting us comes when we are talking to Him...or reading Scripture...or looking at the sky...or the ocean...or experiencing a first kiss..Whenever and whatever He wishes to attach Himself to is His business. Sometime His contact of us is sudden and very unexpected...we may be casually talking to Him and He decisdes to RESPOND! I am sure you have had a epiphany or two. Perhaps it would help if I related a few of mine. I can count them on one hand...they are rare occurances. But some are so magnificent that I find that I no longer believe in God. I know God...have experienced God. Do you ever say, "I believe my wife loves me?' Or rather do you say, "I know my wife loves me because I have experienced her love...I no longer need to just believe and hope in her love. I have her love for certain." Well, that is an analogy of how God contacts us in love and holds us in love..and kisses our soul in love as shown in Jesus' perfect story ever written: "The Prodigal Son which should be called the "Prodigal Father" because it the incredible love of the Father that caused Him to look on the road leading home every day to see if His son would come home. When He saw his son finally coming home, He ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him. He threw a great celebration for his son's home coming. Now, this son truly had an Epiphany when he experienced his Father' total pardon and celebration. The boy was not punished. He was welcomed, given a new robe, ring and sandals - signs of total family reinstatement. The son now KNOWS the Father and His love for the son like he had never experienced or imagined. God can be very surprising.
Here are a few surprises in my own life of an encounters with God. Please let me share a few of my epiphanies with you in chonological order. But each each experience was not in real "Chonos" time but "Kairos" time: that is the absolute "right time" in God's mind for me to receive His Presence:
1) In the Seminary, I was reading the words of the Lord: "Behold I stand at the door and knock. Any one who opens to me, I will come with My Father; and we will sit down and have supperwith him." Suddenly,
the Presence of God the Father and Jesus were so greatly present that I could hardly stand it.....I was transported into the new dimension of their love for me which is the Holy Spirit. I never forgot that experience when I was just 16..which made me open and looking for any new encounter with Them.
2) When I was only 21, I was coming out of Mass and a ceremony when I had brought Mr. Temoson into the Church from the Baptist church. When he went to Holy Communion for the first time at this Mass, he told me of his epiphany. When he had Jesus inside his soul in Holy Communion, he was so moved that he said: "I have never experienced any thing like this before. I want to leave and become a monk." I told him that this loving experience was an embrace from God; but he should not to become an monk because he is married with 3 children. He gave me in thanks a beautiful medal of St. Christopher, patron of travelers. After leaving him, I surely did need divine help on the way home.
3) On the way home, I drove off a clift in the back roads of Kentucky because there were not warning signs or barricades. In the air, I encountered the Archangel, St. Raphael who saved my life. This was a miraculous event that even the police were baffled because they said no one could survived such a fall from such a height; any my care did not have a scratch on it. For details of this event, please see my Pio's Proverb 44: "St. Raphael saved my life..."
4) An old man crossed over the double yellow line on 6 Mile Rd in Detroit and hit me head on. My head felt like it had been hit by a hammer. When the car came to a standhill, I was on the ground. But then something so unusual happened: a beautiful young man of 20 came pushing through the crowd and took out a huge immaculate white handkerchief and bending down, he patted my bleeding head and said to me: "You will be all right." He left with a smile. All his clothes were immaculate..never been worn before. His shoes were right out of the box. People respected his authority and moved aside. I am sure this being was my guarding angel who has wishpered in my ear just before the crass, "Turn to the right." Thinking this was a strange bit of advice, I continued down the road....to a crash that totalled my care....but gave me a glimpse of my gurading angel who had wispered in my ear in the first place. From then on, I take it seriously when my angel who is not in time...knows impending events before they happen. But isn't so wonderful to give me such a beautiful angelic being to be at my side every moment of the day?
5) I was walking down a very wooded road in upper-state Michigan. The trees were tall; and I walking away from the setting sun. The road was about 25 feet wide. As I am on my way, I see a very large dog...as big as a great dane. But this dog was different that anything I had seen. He was big and black with the face and hair of a regular scottie dog. Well, for sure, I walked around this dog who could have me for supper if he wished. The dog seeing my evasion action of going to the opposite side of the road, quickly trotter over to place himself directly in front of my patch. There was not a bark. I did not talk to the dog; but I did talk to myself and said: "Let us go to the opposite side?" As I did so, the dog quickly trotted over and blocked my path again. So, I said to myself: "You do not need to be going this way...let us retreat back down the road." The dog seeing my turning around did nothing to stop me. This animal was very intelligent and not hostile. He was scary to me though. As I went toward the setting sun, the sky became more and more illuminated. I came to a high bluff or clift. From this height, I could little cottages down below that looked like about two inches long. There was a large lake in the middle of all the cottages that was mirror calm and looked like glass. Then, let me tell you about the sky: it was maginificent (not like the sky at the end of Gone with the Wind or War Hourse). The sky was a great flame from horizon to horison, from the top of the sky to the bottom. And all of this beautiful orange and gold flame was reproduced in the lake. So, I was in two skies!
I am 73 years old; I have never seen anything more beautiful on this earth than I did that early evening at sunset. I believe that God had painted this scene for him since God and I are both painters. God did not want me to miss most incredible scene of His Beauty. He even sent me a angel in the form of a dog to turn me a round. Now, that is very good of God; don't you think?
6) The most powerful Epiphany I have ever experienced was after having come for Mass and Holy Communio. I went into the woods to pray and be alone with God. He was there all right. Casually, I told God the Father aloud: "I can see You, Father, in the clouds and sky." I did not know He was listening to hard. Then I said: "I can hear Your voice, Father, in the wind in the trees and in this babbling brook at my feet. I can also see you in these yellow wild flowers." O...O...what did I say? Suddenly, God the Father answered me in such a powerful way that I will never be able to believe in Him again. I know God. I was experiencing God as He now decided to reveal Himself to me. I was surprised He was listening so much. His voice was powerful....and had a echo that echoed down eternity. This was not a voice in time; it was a voice that was speaking from eternity. The voice said: "YOU BELONG TO ME!" The voice has also with it emotions that actually denuded me: I felt I own nothing: not my clothes nor my body..nor my mind...nor my sould....I completely belonged to God! This was the greatest epiphany in my life. The voice was so powerful and penetrating into my being, that I just stood there and waiting to die.as I thought God was calling me home. I waited about 12 minutes..and realized that I was still in my body. For comic relief of all this loving stress, I said to God whose ear I was certain I had: "Well, Father! If I belong to You that much, then You must belong to me, too." Well, that was the end of the prayer of contemplation and divine infusion. God can decide to contact us whenever He wants. I think He listens to us more than we think and has a lot of emotions for such a great God.
7) This is a big one; but not as big as the previous one. Still you will find it enjoyable. For details of this wonderful event, please see my Pio's Proverb 37: "Getting a high five from God!" Those words are not figurative. They are actual words describing a true event. God actually gave me a high five. It is so real that you need to read the entire event on Pio's Proverb 37. But this experience taught me that God is very very emotional and can respond when He wills to our prayers and actions.
8) My eight little epiphany is small; but still I felt I have been encountering God in this event: Thirty years ago, I owned a 1978 Lincoln Town car that was all white with blue interior. I was the best car I evey owned. My kids loved it and went camping with it. The enormous trunk could store all the tents and still have room left over. It is the biggest trunk ever made. It was also a kind of a "wonder car" in that I could drive up to 1300 feet in the Rockies; and it kept going and going and going. The buses and trucks were parked off the road because the thin air just stopped them cold. But my car just kept going and going. This truly was a wonder car. But going down hill was a bit tricky. You cannot use breaks..they will not work. I had to for three miles put the car in the lowest gear it had; and the car and me sailed down that mountain doing 50 mph in that lowest gear. As I said it was a wonder car. But back in Dearborn, I was parked at a redlight waiting for it to turn green. Then I heard an enormous bang and my back went to metal of the seat. Another big Lincoln hit me in the rear..and totalled the car. I was sad..and never got another Lincoln. But Psalm 37" vs 3 -7 says: "Delight in the Lord; and He will give you the desired of your heart." God knew I wanted that Lincoln.
Well, 30 years later, a few months ago, I had the desire and the inspiration from God to pray for a 1978 or 1979 white Lincon 4 door Town Car. For 33 days in a row, I said to God: "Lord, You said, 'Ask and you will recieve; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you." After 33 days of asking God, I went right into another 33 days of thanking God for hearing my prayer. Then on the 67th day, I went into another 33 days of thanking God for anwering my prayer even if I did not see the results because Jesus said: "When you pray, believe that you already have what you ask for and it shall be yours." So, I followed that counsel to the letter.
After 99 days of prayer for this white '78 or '79 Lincoln, I said to God..."What happened to my white 1979 Lincoln Town Car?" I said this because I thought that it was all a done deal. Well, 4 hours later on that day, I was going down Groesbeck off of 15 mild. Even from 3 blocks away, I could see this huge white car parked 90 degrees to the road. When I neared the car, I pulled into the circle drive to investigate the white 1979 Lincoln Town Car. Then there was an epiphany! I felt that God was there and that He answers all prayers...especially those prayers He has inpired us to say to Him.I felt that another petition I had prayed for for 132 days in a row will also certainly be answered. Go had see this 32 year old car and kept it for me. I knocked on the door. ..As the man came to the door and opened it, I said to him: "I have prayed for this car!" He said: "If the Lord wants you to have it, it will be yours." I just a few days I purchased the car for $4000. It was mint...and had been in the garage for 10 years..had never seen a winter. The back seat was virginal in the no one had ever sat in that back seat. It only had 41 thousand miles....This was the best 79 Lincoln in the Nation.
9) My last epiphany came on Epiphany Sunday, January 8, 2012. It was a Sacramental Epiphany. I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation while the sun was coming through the window right into my eyes. I was conscious that the Holy Spirit was there penetrating my heart and absolving me from all and any sin. I was fully conscious that Jesus was listening to my confession through the priest; and that Jesus' presence was as real as His presence in the Eucharist - spiritually for sure - but Jesus cannot be separated from His body, so in some mysterious and mystical way, Jesus was fully Present there listening to me. How do I know this for certain? Well, eventhough I did not put this event in a separate Epiphany before this time; I am glad I did not so as to show you now more vividly how I am certain that the Lord, Himself, hears and absolves us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I have personal proof to offer you not just speculative theology but rather the "spirituality of experience" which St. Teresa of Avila said that "there is no true spiritual experience unless it is reflected upon" in one's life. Well, let us reflect upon my experience together, you and me:
I left work at Ford's about 4:30 pm during a week day and headed immediately to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church which was on the way to Down Town Detroit. The pastor was a very short (less than 5 feet tall) little Italian priest who still had a slight accent who always conducted his flock in prayer. I did not like any silence as he thought the minds of his flock may wonder; so he always led the Our Father or Hail Mary during those times of when people were waiting for Mass to begin. He may have been a little scrupulous or just very devout because no matter what he always heard confessions before Mass for at least a half an hour during the week. Knowing that and being of very delicate conscience, I went this day to wait in line for my confession before Mass. There was no one before me, so I entered the confessonal and awaited my turn to hear the kindly and saintly old priest greet me. But this time, there was no greeting: just absolute and perfect silence. I heard not even a little rustle of paper or an inadible whisper or mumbling in the background. I remained kneeling for at least 15 mintues. I pulled the curtain back at the entrance where I came in and observed that the kindly priest was not in the sacristy nor the candles lit. All was silent and semi- dark. I waited kneeling for another 10 minutes. Since there still was not a sound, I began to seriously doubt if Father was actually here hearing confessions. I became rather curious since I could see out the curtain
that Father had not in any way prepared the altar for Mass nor vested himself. He was just nowhere to be seen. Now after nearly kneeling for a half an hour, I did a rather bold thing: I pulled aside the curtain that separates the priest from the penitent to see if Father was really there or not. What I saw as clearly as I am seeing the words of this page will forever be indelibally engraved on my memory. What I saw was Jesus hearing a confession with His hands over His face as He was supporting His head and in deep thought and in a very deep listening mode. I was so surprised at such a totally unexpected scene! I slowing pulled the curtain back with great reverence. But being an artist/painter I took a very very good look before the curtain was completely closed. Let me describe to you all that I saw. It was no ethereal vision of vapors. It was solid, precise detailed a picture of Jesus imaginable. Jesus was gentle but big boned, tall even in a sitting position. He was not a body builder, but still very naturallly powerful in His stature and build as would be any strong construction worker who carried large loads regularly. His hair was wheat color and so think that it would not lay down naturally but rather lifted off slightly off his shoulders. He wore a one-peice tunic that was cut like our tee shirts at the neck. His arms were fully exposed and free with a sleeveless cut that matched the neck. The tunic was cut at the shoulders high so that part of His shoulders could be seen at the very top. His arms were so beautiful that I cannot but describe them except by doing a painting of Him. In His whole Presence, there was a tremendous peace and gentleness...a meekness and mercy in His whole vivid body language. His tunic was made of scrap yarns of three colors: light brown, medium brown and dark brown. The garment was immaculate but seems to have been washed so often that the yarn was balled up in many places in front. Two other details: His hair so think was perfectly groomed with not one hair crossing the other. As I fully closed the curtain, finally I heard the old priest's kindly voice greeting me for my confession. I could not for the rest of the day speak to anyone except to Father after Mass what I saw in the confessional. Father smiled as if to say, "What else is new?" For the priest was so very aware that Jesus was hearing the confessions foremost; and he was just there in His stead day after day. He smiled - like the Cure' d'Ars - in a loving-twinkling kind of true confirmation of his priesthood. It was like Jesus would look when He heard His Father's Voice: "This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased!" I could see that this totally humble and saintly old priest took from my vision of Jesus a real confirmation that indeed while hearing confessions and saying Mass that he was an "alter Christus" - "another Christ."
Two memories that came to my mind later that relate to this "Epiphany": Fr. Joe Chircup, a Maltese priest, told me one day to me: "When you go to confession, you are not confessing to me; you are confessing to Jesus Christ." He also said once as not specifically to me but rather as a Chrstology of the Church: "To leave the Church is to leave Christ." Secondly, I recalled later the words of Pliny the historian who lived during the time of Christ. I will quote as best I can what he wrote of Jesus: "I have seen this Jesus...as he was coming down the main way of the town..looking down (from a roof) on him. He was about 6 feet tall, of blond hair and blue eyes and had the most beautiful arms of any man I have ever seen..."
Coming back to January 8, I went to Holy Communion which is the True Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The presence of Jesus in Confesion and the Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion were the whole Christ. I do not see the Presence of Jesus in both Sacraments and any difference except that in Holy Communion you know that Christ is Present: Body and Blood Soul and Divinity. In Confession, His Presence is fully there but in a mystical way that I thought was only by the Holy Spirit whose power all the Sacraments have their source. The Blessed Sacrament in the Holy of Holy on earth: the source and summet of our Faith. But in Confession, Jesus is whole Present as I have seen with my own eyes. I do not have the theology to explain it; but I do have the experience to based all my future Confessions on: that Jesus is most lovingly present in Confession and so totally interested and focused on us. Jesus is like the Prodigal Father welcoming home each of His prodigal sons and duaghters. To stay away from Holy Confesion and Holy Communion is the greatest mistake a Catholic Christian could ever make in this life.
Additonally, the Mass at Assumption Grotto was magnificent: a full orchestry, full choir, many priests saying a Trinitine Solmen High Mass for Epiphany. Truly this was a most holy Mass; in the Kyrie, the voices of the choir were pleading for mercy...and by the end of the Kyrie, the voices were joyful that God was and has forgiven them of their sins. Lastly, my soul was roused at the "hanc igitur" when the Consecration is about to take place because the orchestry haralded this even with as much excitement as the background music of Brave Heart just before the greatest event of the Saga with all the soldiers in battle aray! And the leader of all this incredible liturgical surgeance was the conductor: Fr. Eduard Perrone, musician, liturgist and priest!
Now, for us: what does all this mean? It means that God will reveal Himself so that every one can "know and love and serve God in this life; and be happy with Him in heaven forever." God said: "I will that no person be lost and that all will come to heaven." So, if you think that you do not have a chance, you are wrong. God wants you with Him now and forever. If you have not encountered God yet, why not pray and be alone with Him...why not look back at your life and see those epiphanies and incidents where He has already manifiested Himelf to you. It does not matter if you were atheists or Christian, Jew or Muslem: God will reveal Himself to you and has already done so....because He loves you...is madely in love with you...
Thank, You Lord, for Your Glorious Ephiphany Today!
Love, Pio
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