Lettera Madre Epiphany 2017

My dear Sisters …

CONGREGAZIONE
SUORE DELLA PROVVIDENZA ROSMINIANE
Via Aurelia, 773
ROMA

“We have seen his glory, the glory
that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth”.
(Jn 1,14)

My dear Sisters,
I want to join you in spirit, on this wonderful Feast of the Epiphany – the manifestation of God in his Son Jesus, in all His beauty.
St John Paul II described beauty as “the visible form of the good’. Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the purest example of this: “in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God becomes visible in person: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son born of woman” (Gal 4:4). God became man in Jesus Christ.” He continues: “This prime epiphany of “God who is Mystery” is both an encouragement and a challenge to Christians, also at the level of artistic creativity. From it has come a flowering of beauty which has drawn its sap precisely from the mystery of the Incarnation. In becoming man, the Son of God has introduced into human history all the evangelical wealth of the true and the good, and with this he has also unveiled a new dimension of beauty, of which the Gospel message is filled to the brim. (Letter of St John Paul II to Artists 1999)
From the beginning of time, it appears, God chooses to reveal himself to the most unlikely people, commissioning them to carry the message to a wider world. He reveals himself to the ‘watchful’ – those who keep their eyes and minds open to happenings in the universe around them and who look for the true and the good. In following the story of the Magi, it becomes obvious there are two types of ‘search’ involved – that of the Magi and that of Herod. These ‘wise men’ have set their hearts on a mission: on a journey of discovery towards the mysterious manifestation of the Word Incarnate. We become aware that they are single-minded and sincere in their ‘search’ for the truth: “Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to worship him”.

In sharp contrast, King Herod is ‘perturbed’ at this news brought by the Magi: he wants to know but for what reason? It becomes evident he is insincere in his search for the whereabouts of the new-born King. Herod is not sufficiently interested in going to discover for himself: he calls the wise men secretly, questioning them about details of the star and gives them orders to “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, come back to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” In reality, Herod is not concerned about worshipping the new-born Child but very uneasy that the presence of this Child will interfere with his power, his position, his life. His reason for ‘searching’ for ‘the Child’ is far removed from the truth and the search of the Magi. He is a victim of ‘vain self-promotion and concern with appearances.’ The world is filled with people who like Herod, want information, but are not actually looking for Jesus; they want to use the truth to their own advantage, whatever form of deception it may take.
The Magi continue their journey, irrespective of the unknown future. Because they are attentive to the presence and divine intervention of God – the ‘star’ guides them, the ‘prophecy’ points to the place where the Messiah is to be born and the dream warns them to return a different way, they arrive at the end of their search and find ‘the visible form of the Good’ – a ‘Treasure’ far more precious than any gifts they can offer Him:
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him”.

In a similar way, God communicates with us through the great and small events of our lives. Are we conscious and aware of this?
– Epiphany invites us to ‘lift our eyes’, like the Magi, to have the courage and single-mindedness to follow the light of the star towards the truth, even though our journey may be dangerous and risky;
– Epiphany reminds us that the light of our faith, like that of the wise men, needs to be strong in order to see and recognize the Lord, however surprising the manner in which he presents himself to us. Once we recognize Him, we bow down before Him, offering Him ourselves and our complete loyalty;
– Epiphany shows us never to assume that God comes to birth only in the people and the places where we expect to find him;
– Epiphany stresses that like these Magi we sometimes have to return to our ‘own countries by a different way’, carrying the Christ-life to all those we meet.
We make our own the sentiments expressed by Bl Antonio Rosmini written on Christmas Day:
“So let us approach his cradle, offer him ourselves entirely, adore him, and beg him for his grace.
With this we shall receive all we desire…”
(AL. vol V Lett 60)

We unite them with the words of Pope Francis:
“To look upon the manger means to find the strength to take our place in history without complaining or being resentful, without closing in on ourselves or seeking a means of escape, looking for shortcuts in our own interest. Looking at the manger means recognizing that the times ahead call for bold and hope-filled initiatives, as well as the renunciation of vain self-promotion and endless concern with appearances”.
(31 Dec 2016).
Mindful of the goodness of God, let us take a moment to think about all the ways we have been blessed: blessed by God, blessed by others. Let us live gratefully and make the coming year, 2017, ‘A Year of Gratitude’ in whatever way we can.
We give thanks to God for the Sisters who have taken a new step in following Jesus – on 2 Jan in Muheza, Tanzania, 3 Novices made their First Profession.
Happy Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord!
With love,