The Feast of the Epiphany marks the manifestation of Our Lord’s Divinity to the gentile world. No longer will salvation be the preserve of a particular race. Thanks to the Incarnation, we are all called to belong to God’s chosen people. When the Magi fall to their knees and offer to the Christ Child the highest form of worship (Latria, in Greek) that is due to God alone, Isaiah’s great prophesy is magnificently fulfilled: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who dwell in the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” (Is 9.2)
Of course, much of the world today does not associate our Catholic Faith with light, but rather with darkness. To many of our contemporaries religious faith is associated rather with ignorance and superstition. In the western world, this negative view of religion has been gaining ground ever since that revolution in thinking and culture that is known as the Enlightenment, the luminaries of which claimed to champion the supremacy of reason over all else. Their aim was to chase away all shadows, so that the undiluted light of pure and perfect reason might be allowed to flood into every aspect of human life.
The end result of all of this, however, was not necessarily enlightenment, but rather a severe form of light pollution. And just like the light pollution that blights every modern city like London, it has prevented man from seeing the stars. As a result we are in danger of becoming blinded to so much that is beautiful and holy. This loss of the sense of the sacred is one of the tragedies afflicting our world today, and it is dangerous because when people lose their sense of the sacred, then we find ourselves living in a society that is increasingly frustrated, neurotic and brutish.
So we have these two conflicting understandings of light: the light of the Gospel, that opens our vision to the mysteries of salvation and illuminates the meaning and destiny of our lives; and then we have that searing cold light that aims to banish all mystery and transcendence to the dustbin of history. One light gives life. The other ultimately brings death. And the source of the latter can surely be traced to that fallen angel whose name – Lucifer – means ‘bearer of light’. Lucifer’s aim is to drag us into his own misery. And how much misery has the world seen in the name of progress – a progress that always claims to be purely rational and scientific, since the Enlightenment. The Terror of the French Revolution was at the beginning of it. The ‘modernization’ projects of Marxist and Nationalist Socialism in the 20th century were further manifestations of Lucifer’s project of dehumanizing the human race, and of blinding man to his supernatural destiny of eternal life.
It is up to us as Christians to make sure that the liberating, life-giving light of the Gospel prevails over the false light brought by Lucifer. We have to manifest this light in the way we live, and in the witness we bear to our Faith. Human reason is something wonderful. The ability to know and to love, which is a part of human nature, means that every man, woman and child carries a reflection of the nature of God. But human reason on its own can never transport us to the sublime heights of knowledge and love for which we have been created. We need the gift of faith to elevate our reason to the realm of mystery.
The hostility with which some people react when they learn that we are Catholics can actually be an opening to fruitful discussion. Religion used to be one of those subjects considered inappropriate for polite conversation. But now it has become quite normal for someone to launch an attack on the Church or on Catholic beliefs at an otherwise congenial social event. How we respond is important. We could always say nothing, but what a missed opportunity that would be. Perhaps the best response, initially, is something simple: “Actually I am a Catholic. And yes, my Catholic Faith is the most beautiful and the most important thing in my life. In fact, it means more to me than anything.” We might get punched in the face, but our answer might be just enough to make someone ask himself what it is exactly that gives us so much assurance.
If we want to have a good look at the stars, then we need to get out of the city – preferably to a remote hilltop from where we can gaze in silent amazement at the beauty of the night sky. We need to do something similar with our Faith. We should make time to reflect on the truths and mysteries of our Catholic religion. Through reading and prayer, give those truths the opportunity to come into focus and to shine brilliantly in our consciousness. Having been blessed with the vision of Faith, may we exercise it and share it. During this Epipanytide, may the Magi guide us on this journey.
Father Julian Large