The Feast of the Epiphany – what an amazing celebration. Each year, in the middle of the silly season in this country we mark the  many showings of Jesus  – the arrival of the wise  travellers, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding feast of Cana, to say nothing of the constant manifestation of Jesus the Christ throughout time and to all peoples. This year  at our church in Johnsonville on the feast of the Epiphany we were treated to an enlivening homily, based on ‘three’. We were alerted to the three gifts, the way we assume there were  three wise men, and three points to remember. The three points were ‘manifestation’,  ‘homage’ and  ‘smile’. Our visiting priest moved around the sanctuary to stress his often repeated points and after Mass there were little groups of people discussing his homily.  Even now, several days later, that homily is well remembered.  ‘Manifestation ‘ reminded us  of all the ways Christ is shown to us; ‘smile’ reminded us that gifts need to be given with a smile. ‘Homage’, about respect for God, the Holy Name, the Eucharist presence and other sacramental practices set me wondering. Pope Francis with his ‘Laudato Si’, and the writings of many other people, including members of our Aotearoa New Zealand family, have set me thinking about the Epiphany and the incarnation. Homage must surely go far beyond the way we genuflect or bow our heads. Homage must surely be offered to the whole of Earth that the
Read More