FIRST READING: Isaiah 60: 1-6 – Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 3: 2-3; 5-6 – I assume that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
GOSPEL: Matthew 2: 1-12 – When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, 0 Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”’
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You have here in these texts an exposition of what is often called ‘Ecclesia’ by theologians. The term used is a bit confusing. Because, though the word is usually translated as ‘Church’, its metaphysical meaning is broader than what we usually understand by this word. ‘Church’ is generally used in three ways: to refer to a building for public Christian worship (‘The church around the corner’, for instance), to an organised Christian society (‘The Church of Scotland’, for example), or even to Christians collectively (‘The Church militant’, for instance). However, the term ‘Ecclesia’ refers to none of these meanings specifically.
‘Ecclesia’ is a transliteration of the Greek feminine noun ἐκκλησία (pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah), and the root of the term ‘church’ in various Latin languages (‘iglesia’ in Spanish; ‘chiesa’ in Italian; ‘ecclesia’ in Latin; ‘église’ in French, etc.). Its equivalent in Hebrew is כנסיה (k'nessiyah; pronounced k'ness-ee-yah), from which the Maltese ‘knisja’ (pronounced k'neess-yah) is derived. It is frequently used in the Old Testament (Neh 13: 1; Ps 149: 1; Deut 23: 1; Joel 2: 16; etc.). Though the above texts do not use the word ‘ecclesia’ exlicitly, it is used in other parts of the New Testament by Matthew (18: 17), Luke (Acts 8:1), John (Rev 2:1) and Paul (1 Tim 5: 16). Notwithstanding, its use is not exclusive to religious texts. It is also used, for example, by ancient Greek writers such as Heroditus (3.142), Aeschines (3.124), Plato (Gorgias 456b), Aristotle (Politics 1285a11), and others.
The meaning of ‘ecclesia’ is a specific assembly duly summoned (be it lay or religious). If a generic assembly was intended, the Greeks used the word συλλογος (pronounced soo-lo-gos). In a theological sense, ‘ecclesia’ refers to an assembly summoned by God. This use of the term is not identical to any particular organised Christian society, nor to Christians collectively, and much less to some Christian building for public worship. It is much broader than any of these. Religious societies (whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and the rest) may be part of such an assembly, but they are not indistinguishable from it. Neither can any one of them claim to be identical to it. God’s assembly is larger than all religious societies put together; it transcends all of them particularly and collectively.
The specific assembly duly summoned by God is made up of all those who share in God’s Holy Spirit (or, if you like, in God’s values). This, we believe is identical to Jesus’ spirit and values. These include respect for human dignity and for human life, a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, and esteem towards solidarity, stewardship, subsidiarity, human equality, and the common good. Whoever, of whatever creed and belief, embraces and upholds such values is part of God’s summoned assembly, his ecclesia.
It is this that Isaiah speaks about to the Israelite exiles in Babylon. It is to this that Paul was made steward. It is this that the wise men from the East represent. The ecclesia is indeed God’s epiphany. All of us are called to be part of it.
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