Just a word before we go...The Feast of the Epiphany...January 5, 2025

On this feast of the Epiphany, we think about the Magi, those wise kings or astronomers from foreign lands who followed a star to find the infant Jesus. The word epiphany can mean manifestation or the sudden perception of the meaning of something.  It can also refer to an insight about a situation or a person.  Epiphany for the Magi occurred when they discerned the meaning of the star, and again when they encountered the baby in the manger, recognizing him as the new King.

While a student at Fordham, I enrolled in a Scripture course taught by an eminent scholar by the name of Fr. Eugene LaVerdiere.  Fr. LaVerdiere had taught at several prestigious institutions and was the Senior Editor of Emmanuel Magazine. We students were anxious to meet him and learn from his wisdom. Twelve of us were assembled at a conference table when he entered the room.  He was a large man and he walked in slowly, with a cane. We waited several minutes before he spoke. He began in a very slow fashion announcing (with great pomp), “I am Dr. Eugene LaVerdiere, Professor of the New Testament at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.”  We were suitably impressed, and waited a minute for him to continued, which he did in a different tone …“I had a stroke six months ago...now, I am Eugene LaVerdiere, a student of the New Testament.” We students were spellbound by these words from this larger than life person. In the ensuing classes, Fr. LaVerdiere taught us, with few words and much insight, that no matter how much we know, no matter how much we learn, the wise know that they, and we all, continue to be students.  Fr. LaVerdiere’s epiphany was the wisdom he gained recovering from his stroke; our epiphany was the recognition of the greatness of our teacher and learning that the development of wisdom comes from reflecting on the experiences in our lives, and discerning their meaning.

The Magi give us example, as did our teacher, that there is no substitute for paying attention to God, to one another, and to the circumstances of our lives, in order to reflect on where we are being led, what star we are following, and by what route we will find our way home.