On Faith
Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World
Epiphany: Exercising Conscience in
a World Ravaged by Fire and Water
by Ched Myers
The Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6 summons Balaam “from the east” to
culminates the Twelve Days of Christ- curse Israel, only to be foiled when the
mas. Epiphany has a rich cultural his- prophet instead pronounces blessing—
tory. Researching various traditions, I just as the Magi do.
stumbled across an old German pracBut the third narrative informing
tice of ritually purifying the household Matthew is the most important: Exowith herbs on the twelfth day, and in- dus 1 and 2, in which Moses’ life is
scribing C + M + B (Caspar, Melchior, similarly threatened by a paranoid poand Balthasar, the legendary names of tentate. The challenge of a prophetic
the Magi) above the entry to the house. infant brings Pharaoh, like Herod after
That is followed by a prayer asking for him, to unleash a policy of infanticide,
protection in the coming year “from justified by national security. But their
the ravages of fire and water.”
plans fail because of a few people of
What a compelling petition for the conscience. God’s messengers enter
poor of our world, who suffer from a risky world: floating down the Nile
both natural and social disasters. The in a basket (Exodus 2:3), spirited out
fires of war continue
of the country on
to displace people
back roads (Mataround the globe, “Epiphany can thus be a
thew 2:14). We
while the deadly season for conscience for
never hear again
waters of Hurricane us, because kids continue to in the Bible of the
Sandy remind us be collateral damage, from
mysterious heroes,
how climate change Afghanistan to Darfur to
midwife and magi,
is creating refugees Colombia.”
who help save the
everywhere.
chosen infants—yet
The story of the
upon their actions
ancient Magi is indeed the focus of hangs the entire salvation drama. Dare
Epiphany. Matthew’s account narrates we assume that our own choices, minor )ѡ