<p>We can be so cynical about our holiday gatherings and treat as mundane interactions that which can carry potential for an encounter with the Sacred. Todays reflection suggests that whether we experience our own epiphanies may have less to do with Gods presence and more with the wisdom of our preparation to recognize it.</p><p><strong>January 7 2024: Feast of the Epiphany</strong></p><p>Isaiah 60:1-6</p><p>Psalm 72:1-2 7-8 10-13</p><p>Ephesians 3:2-3a 5-6</p><p>Matthew 2:1-12 </p><h3><strong>The Pattern of Epiphany and the Expectations of the Wise</strong></h3><p><em>A reflection by Jeff Vomund</em></p><p>I live in Knoxville Tennessee but St. Louis Missouri and its environs were home for my first 44 years. When I visit my former home during the holidays I spend time with my immediate family but also catch up with friends made from grade school through adulthood. Some visits are joyful reunions filled with laughter and reminiscences others can feel perfunctory. Because I am home for only a few days these visits are generally stacked one on top of the other. For example on the last day of my Christmas visit this year I sat with my parents as they ate breakfast then I drove downtown to have breakfast with a couple from my first parish. I drove back to my parents home where they hosted a delightful lunch for some of my grade school and high school friends and their parents. That afternoon I had two separate gatherings at different coffee shops and finally a dinner with a long-time friend who was in town from New York City visiting his mother. These are great days but this stacked social scheduling can put my extroversion to the test! Every year as I plan this holiday pilgrimage I wonder if it is worth itall the texts and calls to arrange schedules all the time and energy to engage in conversations.</p><p>Although the answer to these questions would be different for everyone this weeks Scriptures offered some insight into why at least for me these holiday visits remain a priority.</p><p>The story of the magi in Matthews gospel that we associate with the feast of Epiphany is essentially the story of a visit. We can miss that fact if we focus too much on the theological artifice that has been hung upon the narrative by subsequent generations. In the sparse gospel narrative however we learn that an undetermined number of magi (a word that indicates these people may have been cultic leaders from another religion or at least wisdom figures) made a long journey (from the East implies coming from another land) during which they had to discern where God was leading them. When they arrived at their destination they opened their treasures to their humble hosts. Upon leaving the magi departed for their country by another route indicating they experienced some profound change during the visit.</p><p>If we view the narrative less as theological truismJesus is recognized as savior of the worldand more as a template for recognizing the sacred this familiar story may offer us wisdom during this season of greetings. Notice the pattern: decision to visit discernment open hearts and a willingness to change. Think of the possibilities if we applied that level of intentionality to all our interactions! First these wise persons committed to seeing Jesus Mary and Joseph. They planned and prepared themselves and their companions. They seem to trust this visit could hold something sacred. Second they discerned Divine guidance. These wise ones wanted Love to lead them to their meeting. Third they came with open hearts and gave treasures which showed how much they valued this connection. Fourth they let this interaction affect their subsequent decisions. They let the sacredness of this moment change them.</p><p>I wonder how this pattern of epiphany might make Love more manifest in all my interactionsthe holiday as well as the everyday variety. Specifically how might the quality of my visits with family and friends improve if I committed my whole self to the visit: thought of questions I would like to ask and considered what information I wanted to share made an intention to be fully present during the whole of the visit (This means putting away my phone!)? Further what if I like the wise ones in the story trusted that my interactions with others could really lead to an experience of deep love and reverence? What if I attempted to let Love lead me through the course of my connections? Third what if I chose to be appropriately vulnerable during the visit; if I risked saying some things or asking some questions that really mattered to me? Finally what if I was open to changing based on these interactionschanging my view of another my perspective on an event even my opinion about an issue?</p><p>I am not suggesting that every holiday visit is or ought to be a life-changing interaction with the Divine. That seems a standard designed to produce anxiety and disappointment. Instead I wonder if I prepared my heart a bit more for all my visits tried to discern Gods presence in them risked conversations that mattered and brought a willingness to learn might I then also experience these interactions as more sacred rituals and less perfunctory routines. In other words as the Divine has already been made manifest in our world might an epiphany be more likely if I have readied my heart to receive what I have already been given?</p><p>The experience of the wise ones in our sacred Scriptures suggest perhaps it is.</p><div><div class=titan__email-divider>&nbsp;</div><div class=titan__email-divider><img src='https://www.dignityusa.org/sites/default/files/jeff.png'></div></div><div class=mobile-full><p class=mobile-full><em><strong>Jeff Vomund </strong>has been a member of Dignity/Washington for over 10 years although he currently lives in Knoxville Tennessee.&nbsp;After 15+ years of full-time parish ministry and 7 years of teaching students with particular learning needs Jeff is now a&nbsp;Senior Researcher at the Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (SWORPS) in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee where he focuses on the accessibility affordability and quality of early childhood care. He is finishing his Ph.D.&nbsp;in Educational Psychology at George Mason University.&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p></div>