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Commentary

By Liz Quirin

Look for a Year of Epiphanies in 2012

Happy Epiphany! Tomorrow, Friday (if you get your paper in time), is the day we celebrate the arrival of the Magi at the stable in Bethlehem. This was the day, if you kept track of where the men and the camels were placed in relation to your crèche, you could move them into prime spots. The shepherds were moved out so the Magi could make their appearance and present their gifts.

In Mexico the Magi bring gifts to the children, not Santa or St. Nick. They go about the streets in the early morning hours passing out gifts to young children. It doesn’t matter if this is a school night or a weekend, they come, “dressed to the nines” as some would say, wearing turbans and instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh, they hand out soccer balls, dolls and games.

While the story of the Magi comes from Matthew’s Gospel, somehow through time, the number of Magi has been pinned down at three. Matthew does not, however, name that number, nor are these wise men given names although any of us could name them: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. They even have countries of origin: Melchior was a Babylonian scholar, Caspar a Persian scholar and Balthazar an Arab. The fact that none of this is true does not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for knowing their names or their countries.

Even after we move the men and the camels into tradition, we will eventually put away the crèche and all the accompanying visitors. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our own epiphanies throughout the year. After all, another definition of epiphany — the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something — can occur at any time. It’s akin to understanding “the big picture,” or the ability to look at the puzzle pieces and see the finished product.

Maybe this year, in 2012, we should be looking for epiphanies rather than making resolutions that we might be able to keep for about six weeks or so. This “looking for” epiphanies isn’t like looking for mushrooms in the woods. We have to be people seeking a nobler purpose, like an engagement with God through prayer or enlightenment through spiritual reading. It would have to be something that set us on a path of discovery although sometimes we find things when we are not looking for them.

So, ignoring the Mayans and their calendar of doom, let’s make this year one of searching, one of open-mindedness, one of expanding our horizons, our knowledge and our relationships, especially with God. Many good things can come of this, not the least of which is an epiphany of sort. Just by opening ourselves up to possibilities, we increase our chances that something exciting, something new, something wonderful will occur. If you don’t expect the Three Kings to knock on your door with gifts, you can still expect great things to happen in this year of Our Lord 2012.