Fr. Adolph Guy
In this Christmas season, all our thoughts and reflections are on this newly born child. In the night of December 24, we heard the angel announcing and pronouncing his name, Emmanuel which means God-is-with-us. And Saint Luke told us plainly how and where he was born. After listening to all this, this Sunday’s gospel invites us to follow in the footsteps of the wise men, that is, to take action, to go and meet him so that we may touch him and, in turn, let ourselves be touched by him. This Sunday, the Church invites us to celebrate the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany simply means, God is showing himself to us through a newborn and vulnerable child. This child is vulnerable not only because of his young age, but also because of the poor and difficult conditions in which he was born.
During my stay here in Mongo, I have attended quite a few naming ceremonies with both Muslim and Christian communities. In fact, the traditional naming ceremony, commonly called “pul na do” in krio, and the particular way in which it is celebrated in our town flashes through my mind as I picture the interaction between the newly born Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph, on the one hand, and the wise men, on the other hand. It is a custom here that, right after the birth of a child, the news is spread all around along with the date of the naming ceremony—which normally takes place within ten days of the birth of the child. While the family is required to prepare whatever is needed for the celebration, such as food (i.e. flour or cola nut); for friends and relatives, it is socially binding to attend such event. Indeed, in Mongo, most of us cancel our activities in the first half of the day in order to be present at such ceremony. During the ceremony, the child is at the centre of attention and everything is done in his/her honour. Money is collected and presents are given to the child. During the ceremony, the spiritual guide of the couple (a priest for Christians) announces officially to the assembly the name of the newly born child. Hence, through this ceremony, the identity of the child is revealed to the community. Although the Solemnity of Epiphany does not really equal Jesus’ naming ceremony; it can be said by analogy that, the encounter between the newborn and the wise men reveals to us his identity. To put it otherwise, the gifts offered to the child Jesus hint at his different standing from other children. Indeed, the wise men offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each of these gifts bears a symbolic meaning. Gold implies that this child is a king. Frankincense means that the newborn comes from God and he is God. Finally, myrrh points to his future death, inferring that the new born will die to save us. It follows that, putting together the meaning of each of these gifts and the miserable condition in which the child was born, the contrast might be too sharp to the wise men between if we consider what they experienced in Herod’s palace and what they saw in the child Jesus. While in Herod, the wise men saw a tyrant, in the child Jesus they met Emmanuel, God-with-us; the prince of peace. Hence, through the help of God, they refused to go back to King Herod but, instead, they decided to take another way back home. It is here that I find the question of Pope Benedict XVI very penetrating when he asked in Spe Salvi (His encyclical about Hope), n°4: “can our encounter with the God who in Christ has shown us his face and opened his heart, be for us too not just “informative” but “performative” – that is to say, can it change our lives, so that we know we are redeemed through the hope that it expresses?”“The encounter with him, continues the Pope in n°47, is the decisive act of judgment. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation as through fire.” Therefore, the main invitation to each of us here is to meet the child Jesus. Let us touch him and also let us, we ourselves, be touched by him so that he may transform us. Let us meet him in the crib not only for picture taking, as we put on our special clothes, but also for meditation and prayer. Let us meet him also in the sacraments, especially through the Eucharist and Confession. These are means for our own conversion and transformation. And, after meeting him, let us not go back using the way of King Herod. Let us leave that way in 2018, as the year is fading away. For, the way of King Herod is filled with anger, lies, envy, jealousy, insecurity, oppression, violence, and the likes. In the New Year of 2019, let us follow in the footsteps of the wise men in taking a new way, namely, the way
of God which is characterized by simplicity and self-effacement. Eventually, God will fill this year with blessings and happy surprises. Happy New Year and May God bless you all
In this Christmas season, all our thoughts and reflections are on this newly born child. In the night of December 24, we heard the angel announcing and pronouncing his name, Emmanuel which means God-is-with-us. And Saint Luke told us plainly how and where he was born. After listening to all this, this Sunday’s gospel invites us to follow in the footsteps of the wise men, that is, to take action, to go and meet him so that we may touch him and, in turn, let ourselves be touched by him. This Sunday, the Church invites us to celebrate the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany simply means, God is showing himself to us through a newborn and vulnerable child. This child is vulnerable not only because of his young age, but also because of the poor and difficult conditions in which he was born.
During my stay here in Mongo, I have attended quite a few naming ceremonies with both Muslim and Christian communities. In fact, the traditional naming ceremony, commonly called “pul na do” in krio, and the particular way in which it is celebrated in our town flashes through my mind as I picture the interaction between the newly born Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph, on the one hand, and the wise men, on the other hand. It is a custom here that, right after the birth of a child, the news is spread all around along with the date of the naming ceremony—which normally takes place within ten days of the birth of the child. While the family is required to prepare whatever is needed for the celebration, such as food (i.e. flour or cola nut); for friends and relatives, it is socially binding to attend such event. Indeed, in Mongo, most of us cancel our activities in the first half of the day in order to be present at such ceremony. During the ceremony, the child is at the centre of attention and everything is done in his/her honour. Money is collected and presents are given to the child. During the ceremony, the spiritual guide of the couple (a priest for Christians) announces officially to the assembly the name of the newly born child. Hence, through this ceremony, the identity of the child is revealed to the community. Although the Solemnity of Epiphany does not really equal Jesus’ naming ceremony; it can be said by analogy that, the encounter between the newborn and the wise men reveals to us his identity. To put it otherwise, the gifts offered to the child Jesus hint at his different standing from other children. Indeed, the wise men offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each of these gifts bears a symbolic meaning. Gold implies that this child is a king. Frankincense means that the newborn comes from God and he is God. Finally, myrrh points to his future death, inferring that the new born will die to save us. It follows that, putting together the meaning of each of these gifts and the miserable condition in which the child was born, the contrast might be too sharp to the wise men between if we consider what they experienced in Herod’s palace and what they saw in the child Jesus. While in Herod, the wise men saw a tyrant, in the child Jesus they met Emmanuel, God-with-us; the prince of peace. Hence, through the help of God, they refused to go back to King Herod but, instead, they decided to take another way back home. It is here that I find the question of Pope Benedict XVI very penetrating when he asked in Spe Salvi (His encyclical about Hope), n°4: “can our encounter with the God who in Christ has shown us his face and opened his heart, be for us too not just “informative” but “performative” – that is to say, can it change our lives, so that we know we are redeemed through the hope that it expresses?”“The encounter with him, continues the Pope in n°47, is the decisive act of judgment. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation as through fire.” Therefore, the main invitation to each of us here is to meet the child Jesus. Let us touch him and also let us, we ourselves, be touched by him so that he may transform us. Let us meet him in the crib not only for picture taking, as we put on our special clothes, but also for meditation and prayer. Let us meet him also in the sacraments, especially through the Eucharist and Confession. These are means for our own conversion and transformation. And, after meeting him, let us not go back using the way of King Herod. Let us leave that way in 2018, as the year is fading away. For, the way of King Herod is filled with anger, lies, envy, jealousy, insecurity, oppression, violence, and the likes. In the New Year of 2019, let us follow in the footsteps of the wise men in taking a new way, namely, the way
of God which is characterized by simplicity and self-effacement. Eventually, God will fill this year with blessings and happy surprises. Happy New Year and May God bless you all