A Light to the Nations

In many parts of the world, the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on this traditional date. It is one of the oldest and one of the greatest in the liturgical year, for it signifies a "manifestation" or revelation: God makes known who Jesus is: his Son, Messiah, Redeemer. For three centuries, the three major manifestations of Jesus, his nativity, the visit of the Magi, and his baptism were celebrated on the same day. Later the Wedding Feast at Cana, and the Feeding of the Five thousand, were added to this list of manifestations. It was in the fourth century that Christmas came to be celebrated on December 25th, and the Epiphany, on January 6th. We tend to think that things were always the way we experience them in our lifetimes, forgetting about the slow process of the evolution of our liturgical year. Because the Wise Men, non-Jews who traveled from afar (the latest theory being that they might have come from China, as described in the most recent National Geographic), the Epiphany signifies that Jesus indeed came as "a light of revelation to the nations: (Lk 2: 32), that is for the salvation of all peoples, not just the Jews. It is our day to rejoice and be glad, to give thanks and to reflect on our vocation to be " a light to the nations" as well, even in the smallest ways.
For example, this is the first time we celebrate the Memorial of St. Andre Bissette, better known simply as Brother Andre. He was a Holy Cross Brother in Montreal, who for over 40 years, because of his lack of education, was doorkeeper, janitor, infirmarian, barber, gardener and lamplighter. His piety, friendly manner, and willingness to pray to his favorite saint, St. Joseph, for special favors, endeared him to millions during his life and after his death. The famous Basilica of St. Joseph's Oratory stands as a memorial to the power of this man's loving soul and his ability to bring healing, and light to those who came to pray at his little chapel, and later, this magnificent church. Brother Andre was canonized last October. St. John reminds us: "Whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 Jn 21). Following the simple way of St. Andre, how can we this day be "a light to the nations"?
Bro. Rene