Today’s WOTD (Word of the Day) is “epiphany.” You don’t have to be a hard core Anglican like me to know the meaning of this word. In a nutshell, it’s a fancy way to say “enlightenment.” Even my two or three faithful Buddhist readers know all about that. And as a literary construct it’s a time-tested staple of much fiction, as well as non-fiction too for that matter. But that’s another post for another day.
Epiphanies come in all shapes and sizes, from big to small. You know, like <while frantically searching through piles of household detritus> “Oh, so THAT’S where I left my keys/gloves/scarf.” Or <while happily munching a breakfast bagel with cream cheese>, “Oh, so THAT’S why I put on ten pounds in January. ” Or even like, “Oh, so THAT’S why the GOP seems hellbent on self-destruction this electoral cycle.” Like I said , “all shapes and sizes.” Ahem.
What you may not know if you’re not a hard core Anglican like me – especially if you’re a lapsed Catholic or (god forbid) a Baptist – is that the Feb. 2nd feast of Candlemas which falls forty days after Christmas is the last of the Epiphany season celebrations of the church year. And if you’re insatiably curious, you can read all about that on Wikipedia, here.
I mentioned big and small epiphanies earlier, and my favorite Lutheran pastor, Nadia Boltz-Weber, had a wonderful meditation on that last night from St. John’s Cathedral in Denver. You can view it at the sjc’s website here. Or read it at Nadia’s own website, here. Nobody’s got a gun to your head on this one, folks, but if you try it out, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Just sayin’.
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So then, what’s the enlightened bottom line on epiphanies both big and small? Hell if I know. But I will say this much: The aha-moment of realization that comes when we finally uncover our lost keys/gloves/scarf, or when we finally put 2-and-2 together stepping on the bathroom scale first thing in the morning, is probably something we really knew in our heart of hearts all along. We just forgot about it temporarily – however conveniently or inconveniently, as the case may be.
As for ill-advised electoral choices? You’ll have to make the call on that one, dear reader. “Search your heart of hearts” is all I’m gonna say. Hey, it’s an election year after all.
Now, where did I put those keys? 🙂
Hi Dan! I got this link from John Kumor (fellow Ascensioner I took ashes to on Wednesday) and thank you for it and your reflection on the message of the Epiphany by Nadia Boltz-Weber – it was spot-on!