Feast of the Epiphany Homily

I have a priest friend who prides himself on, whenever he is moved to a new assignment, he can pack all his belongings, books, clothing, and other possessions into one car load. By the way he drives a Subaru Impreza and not a Cadillac Escalade. I marvel at that. I have a library of books, a wardrobe of cloths, and mementoes I acquired over the years. I’m glad my brother always had a pickup truck I could borrow when I have had to move.

I don’t feel like I am a packrat, but I accumulate my share of stuff. Earlier in my priesthood I was a hospital chaplain. My co-chaplain was a religious sister. At times she would give me articles or books she felt I might be interested in reading. I’d often tell her I planned to put it on my nightstand and read it as I wound down for the evening. One day, she handed me another article and that was the response I gave her. She said, John, you better be careful that stack on your night stand is getting so high it is libel to fall over and crush you while you sleep. 

The buildup of clutter can be a real problem around church. Church can be a clutter magnet. Many times, I’ve come to the door of the church and found boxes and bags of used religious items left there. They include old crucifixes, prayers books published in 1948, and a tattered statue of the Infant of Prague. My conclusion is that an older Catholic’s house has been cleaned out. Their children, nieces and nephews, or whoever has that task, has come across these religious items and they are afraid to throw them out so, they dump them on our front steps. 

Could you do me a favor? Add a codicil to your will telling your heirs I told you it’s okay for them to throw old palms, devotional books, and all those mission calendars you’ve been saving, in the trash and not leave them at church. 

It’s important for the church to keep uncluttered both literally and figuratively. The Acts of the Apostle tells us the disciples of Jesus were first known as followers of the Way. They were people on the move. The Church is meant to be a movement. We can’t be inhibited from responding to change because there is too much clutter in the way. It is so much harder to move quickly and respond effectively when we are saddled with too much stuff.

The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect and consider working to declutter our lives. As we start a fresh year, we have an opportunity to bring order and organization to our lives. If we remove clutter by getting rid of things we no longer need and store away what we aren’t using, we will lower our stress. Decluttering our lives helps us reduce our choices, removes distractions and ends confusion.

Experts tell us to declutter our lives we need to take six steps. To begin, decide on a timeframe and set a goal. Is it a closet, a room, or the whole house that needs decluttering? Get some help. Enlist the help of a family member or friend to help you keep on track. Have someone who will ask you, “Have you used that this year?” will keep you on track. Chose a good time to start the process. These winter months at the beginning of the new year are a good opportunity.

A seminary friend spent a couple of years at the Benedictine Monastery at St. Anselm’s College. Once a year every monk was required to lay out all their possessions. The abbot and prior would visit each monk’s room. If they felt he had too many things, for instance three sweaters when they felt two was sufficient, the monk was required to give one away to another member of the community. As you declutter, discern what you really need. If you have duplicates give one away. 

Organizational experts say as you declutter, establish a place for everything and everything in its place. Label it so you can find it when you want it. They say we should create new habits. When you start a task finish it. So much clutter happens when projects are left unfinished.

Just as our physical life can get cluttered, so can our spiritual life. Over the next six weeks, from now until Lent begins, we’ll be preaching a series of homilies guiding us in ways to simplify our spiritual lives. We’ll guide you on how to end “Soul Clutter.” We’ll look into some simple prayer practices we can begin to help us unclutter our souls. 

Our spiritual lives can face “Relational Clutter.” Our relationships naturally move and change over time. Some need to be reinforced, other’s put on a back burner, and toxic ones need to end. We’ll share some strategies for making your relationships less cluttered. 

The growth of the internet has caused many people’s minds to become cluttered with useless content. We’ll reflect on ways to keep distractions such as worry from getting in the way of thoughtful reflection. Being overextended financially and living beyond our means can clutter our thoughts. During one of the next six weeks, we’ll help you learn to control financial distractions. 

Having a very active, cluttered lifestyle with things to do, people to see, and places to go, can overwhelm our souls and prevent us from reflecting on the spiritual life. On a future week we’ll see how we can declutter our lifestyle so we make the time to listen to God. Finally, many of us suffer from “Emotional Clutter” so, we’ll look at how to weed out anger, resentments, and regrets that keep us from living the fullness of life. 

Today we celebrate the Epiphany. It is a great story of two different responses to spiritual clutter. On one hand we have the Magi. They were probably members of a class of religious wise men from the east who seriously studied the sky looking for signs. To do that they needed to be focused. They needed to avoid distractions that would draw them away from the study of their surroundings. As a result of their focus, they noticed the new star. It may have been an unusual convergence of the obits of two planets, maybe a super nova exploding, whatever the phenomena they noticed it while so many others overlooked it. Since they didn’t allow clutter in their lives to distract them, they were prepared to respond to the event and journey to learn more about the star. They were prepared to respond quickly and seek out the new king whose birth it proclaimed. 

In contrast we have King Herod and the Jerusalem religious authorities. Historical resources independent of the Bible report Herod was an extremely paranoid individual. He was a notoriously brutal ruler who was distracted by any rumor of disloyalty. He allowed his mind to be cluttered by lust for power, threats of intrigue, worry, and revenge. Herod had two of is own sons and a wife put to death because he suspected them of plotting to overthrow him. 

This climate of fear and intrigue also cluttered the minds of the priests and scribes, the Jewish religious authorities. They were so distracted by Herod’s palace plotting they were unable to recognize the signs for the birth of the Messiah even when the Magi brought the news to them in Jerusalem. Their worries and concerns weight on them so heavily they didn’t take the time and effort to leave the city and go the short distance to Bethlehem and witness to Jesus. 

Hopefully, this new series of homilies we’re calling “Simplicity” will help you clear out the clutter in your life that prevents you from enjoying the fullness of life and bring you joy. We intend for it to help you worship God in new and refreshing ways. 

If you know people who inundated with spiritual clutter in their lives and are unchurched or have fallen away from the practice of their faith, invite them to join us here at church or on our Livestream. Encourage them to come to church with you and hear how decluttering their lives will help open them to a relationship with God and a fuller life.

When we read passages of scripture like today’s gospel, often a particular word, or verse sticks in out minds. For me it is the last verse, Matthew 2:12. There we read of the Magi:

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,

 they departed for their country by another way.

Matthew says, since the Magi lived uncluttered lives, they were changed by their encounter with Jesus. It helped them to look at life in new ways. Their lives were transformed in such a way they returned home converted and with a new understanding of their lives. 

As this new year begins, look for ways to unclutter your life so you can become open to a new and more authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. A new relationship that transforms and changes us. A relationship that sends us home another way.