Morning Devotion for Epiphany
Wednesday February 2, 2022
The Invitatory
I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end.
Amen.
The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.
Reading: John 6:41-54
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;
Meditation – Michael Palmisano
As a good Pennsylvanian, I feel obliged to speak of the lesser feast that is marked on this day – Groundhog Day. Admittedly, my general fascination with the day has been almost entirely influenced by the 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. In this film, local news reporter, Bill Murray, finds himself trapped in Punxsutawney, PA, on February 2nd, on infinite loop. Murray is doomed to relive the same monotonous winter day for what film critics have later calculated to be nearly 33 years of elapsed time. Spoiler alert: the movie concludes when at long last, Murray “successfully” wakes up to the dawn of a new day on the morning of February 3rd. To me, this is a movie that proves itself capable of subtly handling life’s great questions concerning “eternal life” in quite a palatable manner.
The film approaches the concept of eternal life, from the perspective of reincarnation, and in doing so, raises for us viewers the troubles with such a metaphysical proposition. Through Murray’s experiences, it doesn’t take us very long to note that reincarnation is a miserable, even insufficient way, for us to consider eternity. Murray’s confined, recurring life on February 2nd in Punxsutawney, PA may only be a microcosm of the quandaries imposed by reincarnation, but his experience certainly brings the misery of such a cycle into plain view.
Over the course of the film, Murray quickly discovers that his limited immortality is a curse. First, he engages with his new reality in panic, then in hedonistic consumption, then suicidal tendency – such failures leading him at one point to declare: “I am a god…” – and by movie’s end, with acceptance and embrace. Ultimately, Murray goes on to devote each day to works of self-improvement and deeds of altruism. He learns foreign languages, becomes a master pianist, a professional ice sculptor, etc. He also rescues townspeople with a flat tire, helps an engaged couple get through “cold feet,” rescues a boy who falls from a tree, and attempts to save an elderly homeless man from dying.
For all the positive ways Murray utilizes his reincarnation to his own benefit and to those of others throughout the film, the one thing he discovers – very quietly to our perception – is that even in his “immortality” he is unable to prevent this one old man from dying. Even the savior of Punxsutawney is with limits. Each day he is born to new life, but each day he must resign himself to the fact that this old man (and many others) will die. As a viewer, I always feel that the movie takes its climactic turn when we watch Murray accept the eternal death of this man ad infinitum. In the same instant he is defeated – brought to his superhuman limits – and liberated from the position of savior.
The unique proclamation of the Christian Gospel – one entirely divergent from all notions of reincarnation presented in Groundhog Day – is that glimpses of eternal life are opened to us in each and every unique moment, even as we find ourselves incapable of escaping the perpetual reality of death in our midst. However, this same Gospel proclaims that, just as we are unable to escape death, so too will we find ourselves utterly incapable of escaping resurrection life when it comes to us at the dawn of a new day.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life: Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your kingdom on the last great Day; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
