Feast of the Epiphany
On December 13, 1855, Saint Eymard wrote to Ms. Marguarite Guillot in a letter that the first Solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament would take place on the feast of the Three Kings. And so it happened on January 6, 1856, on the Epiphany feast that Bishop Hartmann, the Apostolic Vicar of Bombay, India, and visiting Paris, celebrated the Mass in the chapel at 114 rue d’Enfer. Shortly after this 8 am Mass, Saint Eymard placed the sacred host in the silver monstrance to begin his newly-formed Institute’s first public holy hour.
As worthy and exulted as our chapel/church Eucharistic thrones may be, Saint Eymard rightly observed by the end of his life that the thrones that God looked for and those God truly wanted were not those decorated with candles and flowers but rather those erected in our hearts. It was, and still is, the interior simplicity that God desires. The Magi encountered the very simplicity and welcomingness of the manger in Bethlehem.
Saint Eymard speaks of this interior journey, which is not unlike the journey of the Magi, which we find in today’s gospel reading. It is our/my journey. Like the Magi, I look to the heavens for direction and often discover mighty obstacles. Like the Magi, do I continue my journey or grudgingly give up with the comfort of the “poor me” tapes playing in my heart?
Pope Francis reminds us in his Christmas meditation (Christmas at the Nativity) that I often protest: “I am searching for the Lord” . . . Nevertheless, says the holy Father, “What is most important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him to seek me, to find me . . .”
Prayer:
With Pope Francis, we pray, Lord, that we may undergo the same journey of conversion experienced by the wise men. We ask you to protect us and to set us free from the temptations which hide the star.
