Epiphany

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way." (Matthew 2:1-12)

We celebrated the Epiphany of our Lord last night in grand High Church style. Our artists in residence, Polyhymnia, provided the music, the glorious Missa 'Surge et illuminare' of Pierre de Manchicourt and the motet Magi veniunt of Clemens, both superbly done. We processed singing Morning Star to the Epiphany creche at the beginning. We have a separate creche for the Epiphany with the toddler Jesus since this is supposedly 2 or 3 years after the nativity. I was a torchbearer with a wobbly candle which managed to splash a big puddle of wax onto my left eye so I had to finish the procession with one eye sealed closed. It wasn't easy getting it all cleared off so I could see again once I got back to the sacristy to put away that confounded torch, but such are the perils of High Church.

I got to enjoy the rest of the service standing by the Louise Zabriskie memorial under Our Lady, probably the most serene spot in the sanctuary, just off the Gospel end of the altar. At the Epistle end, St. Ignatius stands above the Christian Zabriskie, Jr. memorial. Louise and Christian's son, Charles Frederic Zabriskie, gave the statues as a memorial to his parents and they stood in the original church before being moved to our present building. Christian Zabriskie was one of the founding fathers of St. Ignatius and warden for many years. Charles Frederic was senior warden for 25 years after his father's death and very instrumental through his close collaboration with our second rector, Fr. Arthur Ritchie, in the creation of our present church. I always feel very close to them all somehow when I stand there by Our Lady and think of how much of themselves they gave to God's glory for His worship.

Fr. Noel Bordador gave a wonderful sermon in which he suggested that the three wise men were not rich kings but more probably simple folk who had received the gift of grace to discern the presence of Christ. The gifts they offered were just the tools of their trade and were also rather practical for a newborn since gold would come in handy, frankincense would freshen the air and myrrh was a natural antiseptic (mostly likely in oil form rather than the resin we burn with frankincense). He then quoted the processional hymn, and assured us that "the greatest offering or adoration we can give God is nothing but our own self, our own life in all its beauty, ordinariness, sinfulness and brokenness."

It was a beautiful service, a good crowd for a Friday night, with lots of visitors, and even SrT drinking the lavabo water didn't bring me down. But does she really think lavabo water is too sacred to go down the piscina? What exactly is the reasoning behind that bizarre devotion? Best not to inquire I guess. I just can't wait until Ash Wednesday and I tell her she has to consume the English muffin and lemon we used to cleanse the celebrant's hands after the imposition of ashes... :>)

Shall we then yield him in costly devotion
odors of Edom and offerings divine;
gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean,
myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
vainly with gifts would his favor secure,
richer by far is the heart's adoration,
dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.