Recently, a friend asked me why the Epiphany, the Baptism of Christ and the Miracle of Cana all receive focus and attention together in a short span of time. I didn’t have a ready answer, and set the matter aside to ponder further. I am always amazed each time when we ask God for better understanding, He teaches us, sometimes in new and surprising ways. A few days after I had been asked for an explanation, and having “wondered” further (especially in those sacred moments after Holy Communion), God shed a light of understanding. Thus I was stunned (but not surprised) when another friend, unknowing of the first friend’s inquiry, came up to me after Mass a few days later and spontaneously shared with me her experience in meditating on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. I asked her if I could further share her insight with all our Cleansing Fire readers and she agreed, but has chosen to remain anonymous. And, so, I share her insight which came to her in a middle-of-the-night meditation which she has described in her own words. She wrote:
“While meditating on the Luminous Mysteries of the most holy Rosary that St. John Paul II gave us, I had a new understanding as to what the five decades could relate to during the Church’s Liturgical Readings concerning the Manifestation (Epiphany) of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The first Luminous Mystery is His first Manifestation: The Baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan – “…and a voice was heard from heaven, ‘This is My beloved Son.’”
The second Luminous Mystery is His second Manifestation; The Miracle of the Wedding Feast at Cana.
The third Luminous Mystery is His Third Manifestation — The proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and His Miracle of the loaves and fishes, and His walking on water, and His public miracles.
The fourth Luminous Mystery is His fourth Manifestation; The Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor.
The fifth Luminous Mystery is His fifth Manifestation; The Institution of the Eucharist.
These five Mysteries truly relate to the Epiphany, (Manifestation) during this Christmas Season, and throughout the entire year, recalling Christ’s public life.
Thank you, St. John Paul II, for your great insight concerning Christ’s Epiphany.”
Obviously this isn’t the end of the answer; rather it is the beginning to pursue further.
The entire experience, over such a short period, is a reminder for me that the Holy Spirit hears our questions, really wants to enlighten us, to not leave us confused, and sometimes to bring the answer to our questions through others, often in a way in which we cannot doubt His Presence in the Response.
Peace and Joy of Illumination.
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