To fulfil my obligation. But, why are you here?
To worship God. Yes, but why are you here?
To receive Holy Communion. Good, but why are you here?
If the questions appear to fluster you, perhaps this Solemnity right after the birth of Jesus can help clarify our reason for being here.
Firstly, we all know that the Epiphany is a sort of a revelation. Christ is shown to the world at large in the form of the visit from the Gentile Magi. As noted before, the Birth in Bethlehem, the Visit of the Magi, the Baptism in the River Jordan and the Wedding at Cana that launched the public ministry of Jesus were all lumped together as one “Christmas” celebration. Only later were they separated into the distinct observances which we are familiar with today.
What is the significance of the Visit of the Magi?
It is a celebration of virginity, to say the least. You could be thinking, “OK, crazy”, but bear with me. If you have watched Steve Carell in the sex comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, you would get the definite impression that virginity is a bad word. It paints a portrait of a sad, unfulfilled and pathetic loser. The movie mirrors the modern mania or obsession with intimacy that is somewhat tilted towards physicality. It would seem that the social nature of intimacy has now been reduced to physical expression or contact.
Today, the focus on the 3 Wise Men is that they have come bearing gifts for the Baby Jesus. What may escape our attention is how their quest is characteristic of who we are. Picture this: 3 Wise Men before the virgin mother, Mary with her Son who in time would also embrace a life of virginity, and they are flanked by the virgin father, Joseph. What is that if not a celebration of virginity?
What is virginity, really?
Too bad our idea of virginity has been hijacked by the approved narrative. The current paradigm of virginity is painfully prescribed or dictated by a philosophy of physical fulfilment that to propose otherwise would appear to condemn a person to a prison of carnal or sensory deprivation. However, in its more unsullied objective, the 3 Wise Men’s undertaking symbolises the deepest yearning of the human heart and virginity epitomises that. Of course, they came looking for the Child King, but they also encountered a family totally dedicated to God—a single-mindedness of the Holy Family which is mirrored by their relentless quest for the Child. In seeking the Divine Child, the Magi experienced His divine bearing already exemplified in His mother and foster father. Face to face with the Child Saviour, they paid homage to the One who has been the aspiration of their search.
Virginity when defined restrictively in physical terms will always be viewed negatively as a loss when in actual fact, the deprivation, not in the sense of the loss of virginity but rather the absence of physical contact might be the highest form of sacrifice. The human heart was never created for the perishable. Examine the Prayer after Communion during the early part of Advent and you find this theme repeated “…for even now, as we walk amid passing things, you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures”. “… (Y)ou may teach us to judge wisely the things of earth and hold firm to the things of heaven”. “(T)hat, with the needed solace of things that pass away, they may strive with ever deepened trust for things eternal”.
The liturgy expresses a fundamental truth that the human heart was created for eternity. In other words, engraved into the human DNA is a heart that longs for heaven. Our deepest realisation is to give our heart to someone far greater than we are. In the Eastern tradition, there is an iteration of the devotion to Our Lady which expresses this truth profoundly. She is the Χώρα του Αχωρήτου (Chora tou Achoretou), that is, the Container of the Uncontainable. This same notion, in the Western tradition, is represented by Mary as the Seat or Throne of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae). For example, Our Lady of Montserrat where the Child Jesus is enthroned on the lap of Our Lady. That she is able to contain the Lord in her womb or seat Him on her lap comes from the fact that her virginity was the reflection of her total self-gift or self-donation to her Creator God and Saviour—an expression of the fundamental orientation of her heart, her whole being to Him.
In other words, virginity is not deprivation as it is denial (or sacrifice). The presence of carnal knowledge or physical intimacy is not the be-all or end-all of human happiness or contentment. On the other hand, its absence is also not an indication of “chastity” or purity of intention.[1] Rather, denial is a noble sacrifice or grand forfeit in which we leave what is good for what is better—"amid passing things to hold fast to things that endure”.
Virginity is more than abstinence or continence for it denotes a stance, posture, or orientation[2] of the heart because the human heart longs to know, to love and to serve God wholly. If not, it will languish as we witness sadly when human attention gets dissipated. Today with the use of electronic devices, this is even more troubling and obvious. We run from one attraction to another distraction not realising that our mindless “Googling” is symbolic of our quest for a cause more compelling and worthy of our sacrifice and ultimately of immolating our lives. The Wise Men were searching for the Truth that would be worth more than their gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So, the pandemic despites its cursed effects might just give us pause to realign our celestial compasses so that our “search engines” can point in the direction of Him Whom our pursuits should be directed to.
Why are you here?
Like the Wise Men, we come from everywhere. The point is, we must start somewhere. But no matter where, Epiphany reminds us that our direction or orientation could be miscued or seriously in need of a realignment. Virginity is simply a dedication of our heart’s space to Him Whom we have been created to know, to love and to serve. We are prompted that the ultimate end of our journey should follow the example of the Magi. They searched for Him. They saw Him. They submitted to Him.
O come let us adore Him.
[1] Just like the Pharisees. They “deny” themselves only to be lifeless and not life-giving.
[2] It is a lovely word for its etymology is derived from Latin “orientem” meaning “the rising sun, the east, part of the sky where the sun rises” very symbolic of the rising Son of God.
