Feast of the Epiphany
Saint Augustine, the great 4th and 5th century North African bishop and doctor of the Church, tells a story of his reunion with a few friends when he was a young man. He hadn’t seen these friends in years. They had all gone their separate ways for a while, and by the time were reunited they all became Christian. They began talking about their life as Christians. The Christian life was both attractive and exacting. They were trying to authentically and faithfully live as Christian men in a still largely pagan Roman world. (I would say our current society presents a similar challenge to Christians today.) One of the friends called Ponticianus, shared his experience reading the “Life of Anthony,” and of the effect it had on two of his friends, while living in western Germany. This book was written thirty years earlier by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria in Egypt and it told the story of St. Anthony of the Desert.
Anthony was a young Egyptian man. One day he went to Church and heard the story of Jesus and the rich young man in the Gospel. Jesus tells the rich young man to sell everything he has, give to the poor, and then tells him “Come, follow me.” That is exactly what he did. He gave away all his possessions and began a life of prayer and asceticism. He stayed in town for a while before eventually moving into an abandoned fort in the nearby Egyptian desert where he lived in solitude. Twenty years later his friends finally convinced him to come out to meet them. And what they saw was astonishing…
Anthony… wasn’t crazy. He was still the Anthony they knew and loved, yet different. He was perfectly balanced, gracious, and kind. Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, though our likeness gets marred by sin. Through his life of prayer the likeness of God could be seen clearly in Anthony. From that time on, people came to Anthony to learn to live like children of God and grow in this likeness. Anthony taught the way of Christ until his death at 105 years old. The local patriarch of Alexandria, St. Athanasius, was moved to write and account of the life of this extraordinary man who said ‘yes’ to Christ and was transformed by grace.
30 years later, the story of Anthony’s life had gone from a remote Egyptian desert to the city of Trier in western Germany, and back down to Milan in northern Italy where Augustine and his friends looked in awe at the life of this holy man. They were challenged and convicted by the example of Anthony. Augustine himself was taken aback by his own half-heartedness compared to Anthony. He was moved to face his own indecisiveness, those areas in his life he was still holding back from Christ. He was moved to make a more ardent and fuller “yes” to Christ.
Why do I tell this story on the Feast of the Epiphany? A similar dynamic is at work in the story of the Magi, the Wise Men from the east. The Magi were members of a priestly caste of Persian society. They were highly educated men who sought the truth. Their quest for truth compelled them to travel far and at great risk to visit this newborn king. When they found him, they were filled with joy, and they prostrated themselves. They lie flat on their faces before Jesus. What a strange sight that was! These wealthy, highly educated men from far away go into the sleepy town of Bethlehem with their train of camels and make an act of supreme humility and worship to a child in a stable. Moreover, they offer princely gifts… Gold – a treasure fit for a king, symbolizing faith by offering total trust in the Lord. Frankincense – a treasure recognizing Christ’s divinity, and our adoration and praise of him. Myrrh – a treasure related to burial, recognizing and responding in love to Christ who loved us to the point of dying for us.
From the earliest days of the Church these Magi were understood as representing humanity’s search for the truth and the answer to the big questions in life. Why am I here? What is my life about? What is the good way to live? All of us have these questions in one way or another. This question occupied the hearts and minds of Augustine and his friends, and of Anthony. They are the most important questions because the answer gives meaning and direction to our lives. I think these big questions motivate, at least in part, many of our New Years resolutions. We see that something in our life needs to change. Something about my life is not good and needs to be better – my attitude, my behavior, how I spend my time, where I look for fulfillment, etc. - and we resolve to do something about it. Often enough our desire to change is good. But if our sights are not set on what is most important, then it will all be in vain. We end up in the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was busy about many things but forgot the one thing necessary.
The Magi sought the “one thing necessary” and they found it in Jesus Christ. After worshipping the Son of God, the Magi returned to their homeland ‘by another way’. Their choice was motivated in part by the angel who warned them of Herod’s plots. However, there is also deep symbolic truth. An encounter with Jesus transforms us and leads us down a new path. When we really let Jesus into our lives, we are not the same afterwards. St. Anthony of the Desert learned that at a young age and became fully alive in Christ. Augustine and his friends learned that and were challenged to choose to follow Christ more fully. When you choose Christ, you are not same afterwards; it no long seems right to keep on walking the way you walked before.
We are all looking for the right way to live. We make resolutions and we look for new methods of living. But The Way to follow isn’t a list of things to do, or a program, or an app for your phone… The Way is a person – Jesus Christ. He says to us, “Come and see.” And “Come and follow me.” Say yes to him and things will be different. You will continue on a different path and not go back the way you came.
The stories of St. Augustine and his encounter with St. Anthony were brought to my attention through the first episode of Desert Fathers in a Year sponsored by Exodus 90 and Bishop Erik Varden. I encourage you to check it out: desertfathers.com
