The Epiphany or Little Christmas

Our Christmas Day! For we were once represented by the Gentiles - the people which were not God's particular own. So we stood rather aside on the first Christmas Day, and watched the angels call the Jewish shepherds into the manger and bring them to adore the new-born Babe. We were touched by their loving simplicity, their ready faith, and we felt that those who came did their best to give Him a loving welcome. But the Jewish reception of the Messiah was a sad fulfilment of prophecy - "His own received Him not."

Days rolled on, and months. The Holy Family moved from the stable into the town when the census-visitors had gone home again. Joseph worked at his carpenter's bench for a livelihood. The shepherds and their kin kept up reverent intercourse with the Child and His Mother, but seemingly their circle of acquaintance did not widen much, and they were only known in Bethlehem as poor but respectable people from Nazareth.

A day came, however, when the dull little place witnessed an unusual sight. A company of travellers, evidently from the East, were seen rapidly riding down the Jerusalem road. They guided their horses and came­ls with decided fingers, they looked neither right nor left, they asked no directions, but made straight for the western gate and entered the town. Then the idlers came out of their dark dwellings and watched the new arrivals curiously, the little children ran by their side shouting, the more respectable waited with what patience they could muster for a sign that would make their direction clear. Had they looked up into the heavens they would have seen the star, "His star." But they did not look up and they did not see it.

More blessed than the Jewish townsfolk were the Gentiles from the East. "Seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His Mother; and falling down, they adored Him. And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Thus did the Gentiles come to Our Lord. A glorious coming it was, with pomp, and majesty, and generosity, and love. For they came from a great distance, with much labor, with much self-denial; with immense faith; with rich gifts. So must we come to Our Lord. We may live but a step from His crib, yet business and distrac­tion make our coming as it were from afar. Self-denial, too, is re­quired for the putting aside of amusements, business, and self-interest. Immense faith we need likewise, for the Eucharistic accidents are as swathing bands upon our hidden King. And the rich gifts! Have we any for Him? Or are we going to plead poverty? But such an excuse will not hold good. For the gifts the Christmas Child loves are not bought with gold, but with good will, and that all men can have.

If I have not gifts I must buy them at once - golden charity in deed, if not in bounties; quick ascending prayer from a heart burning with love, and health-giving mortification. Such gifts must be mine. It will never do to degenerate from the generosity of our Eastern an­cestors.

Just one other thought from this beautiful Feast. The Gentiles were brought to Our Lord in His earliest childhood, and He received them with all graciousness and love. He admitted them into His fam­ily, accepted their offerings, and filled them with exceeding great joy. There are many people about us now, those who are not Our Lord's par­ticular own. Let us open wide our hearts to these, meet them with charity on every bit of common ground we can find. And there is much common ground for us and for them - the love of God, of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love for His poor, purity of intention, unselfish devotion to duty. Fellow feeling working with fellow interests will make us wondrous kind, will warm our hearts, and melt our stiffness, strangeness, and our prejudices, and so perhaps by bright and cheer­ing ways we may become a star, leading men whose hearts are aching, whose eyes and ears are eager for the - truth, to find "the Child with Mary His Mother in the One Church of God."
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Adapted from The Manual of the Holy Catholic Church (1906)