My Epiphany

As I sit here in the quiet glow of those days after Christmas...those days when the hustle bustle is over and the peace and  joy of what just happened is more evident than any of those days leading up to it...I ponder the meaning of it all.

I always want to make Advent meaningful and somehow the commercialism and the hustle bustle seem to get in the way.  From the decorating that begins the day after Thanksgiving to the cards that I want to get out the beginning of December, that never seem to get out until a few days before Christmas.  From the gift selections to the baking and back again, to the gift selections that don't seem quite right and need to be returned and another purchased.  From the laundry and cleaning that still need to be done during this time to the parties to prepare for or go to.  And, don't forget the wrapping of those gifts and other odds and ends that find their way into the Christmas mix. Somehow, all of these things get in the way of "preparing the way" for Christmas.

It is the quiet days after Christmas that fill me with the "presence" of the infant Jesus and the man Jesus, of long ago. The Christmas Story is a beautiful one; one of hope and promise.  Yet, it is the Jesus that walked this earth, teaching us about peace, hope, joy, compassion, forgiveness, equality, inclusiveness, justice and love, that I really want to focus on and follow. So, maybe I am not so far off in waiting until the "dust settles", to allow it all to sink deep into my being.  To feel His breath within me, as I breathe.  There is something powerful about this quiet, that waits for the world to be quiet before it revels itself.  Maybe that is why the Wise Men waited until Epiphany to go and adore Him by bringing gifts.   Maybe we have it backwards.  Maybe we should do the commercial Christmas that seems to have overtaken our modern world, and then really celebrate with the Wise Men on Epiphany.  I think I will make Epiphany my new day to celebrate and adore Him.  I am glad it is on a Sunday this year and will be celebrated within the Mass.

 Epiphany means to have an "enlightened realization, allowing something to be understood from a new and deeper perspective".  I like this definition. I like the idea that maybe I have understood Christmas from a new and deeper perspective this year.  May Jesus revel himself to you this year in a new and deeper way.