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The Mystery of the Epiphany Of all the scenes of the life of Our Lord preserved and handed down to us in the Holy Gospels, it is the mystery of the Epiphany which most faithfully reflects the charism of Miles Jesu. All of the charisms of the Institute are somehow contained in this one great mystery. The Three Holy Kings represent the call of the laity to holiness and the vocation to manifest Jesus to the world. The gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense represent the vows which are the total gift of oneself to God. The gift of myrrh represents our gift of chastity: As an ancient burial aloe, it represents our voluntary death to the pleasures of the flesh. The gift of gold represents our renunciation of material things in imitation of Christ. Although King of the Universe, He made Himself poor. The gift of frankincense represents our gift of obedience, the total offering of self to God. It is manifested in acts of divine worship, in which we recognize our complete submission to God the Creator. The Three Holy Kings also represent the different races and nationalities offering praise to God. As an international faith family, Miles Jesu also wants to make Jesus known and worshiped by all nations and rulers, “that all world rulers will acknowledge Christ as the Supreme Ruler and Chief making the Gospel the theoretical and practical foundation of all Law” (Constitutions, 5). The scene of the Epiphany is full of symbolism. These gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold also signify the divinity, humanity and kingship of Christ. Frankincense tells us that Jesus is God, because incense was always used in the worship of God. Myrrh tells us that Christ was a man since myrrh was used for the burial of the dead. Gold represents Christ’s kingship, for gold is the possession of kings. Soldier of Jesus Our militant enterprising spirit, which motivates us to take on challenging endeavors for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, is represented by the faith-filled act of the Three Holy Kings who left the security, comfort, and emotional ties of their homes and countries to make the long and arduous journey in search of the Child King. The courageous enterprising spirit of the Three Kings is similar to our spirit as soldiers of Jesus. The name “Miles Jesu” means “Soldier of Jesus.” We are also “Militant Sons and Daughters.” The term “militant” comes from the “Church Militant,” comprised of those of us still on earth battling the world, the flesh, and the devil, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. To be militant is to be apostolically aggressive for the salvation of souls: full of zeal, moved by a sense of urgency, and burning with a love which manifests itself in an activity filled with heroic purpose and idealism. Our goal is to make real soldiers of Jesus, zealous soldiers, who are limitless in their ideals. Once formed, let them then create structures and formats, be creative and take initiative. We are not mercenaries who fight for what we “get out of it,” but rather we are inspired by love of God and neighbor. We must therefore train ourselves to be indifferent to failure or success, basing all our progress on our interior determination to do the will of God. We look outward, oriented towards activity, and set no boundaries on anyone’s initiatives (large or small) to do good. The fuel that gives us this energy is a total dependence on God, without Whose help we can achieve nothing. Loyalty to the Holy Father The Star of the Epiphany represents the star of faith, which must guide all our activities in life. When the Kings lost sight of the star, they sought direction from the authorities of the Jewish religion, which represents our charism of fidelity and loyalty to the Holy Father and the official Magisterium of the Church, which can never lead us astray. We must be absolutely loyal to the official Magisterium of the hierarchical Church instituted by Jesus, which, objective and free from private interpretations, has kept for 2,000 years the pristine revelation of God given to us by Jesus and handed down to us through the centuries by the Tradition of the Church. “We do not follow a Christ who is the product of anyone’s imagination or private ideas, but the historical Christ with His objective message of salvation handed down to us through the Church founded by Him.” (Constitutions, 221) The Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of God, is a figure as central in our Institute as she is in the mystery of the Epiphany. The Three Holy Kings found the Child with His Mother. She is a real Mother. She is the Mother. She is the true Mother of God and our Mother. She brings us to Jesus, gives birth to Him in our souls, and fosters His growth as our true spiritual Mother. “The members of Miles Jesu are ‘Sons and Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary’ and as such are in love with what their most holy Virgin Mother loves the most, her Son Jesus” (Constitutions, 16). In a mysterious way, each member of Miles Jesu has heard and answered the call to follow Jesus Christ through the tender promptings of the Heart of Mary, His Mother. She guides us. She feeds us. She teaches us. She protects and corrects us. She constantly reminds us to, “Do whatever He tells you,” (Jn. 2:5 ). As Virginal Mother she is the model for both married and celibate. From Her we learn the dispositions necessary not only for grace, but for God to do great things in us, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38 ). Her Immaculate Heart represents that ineffable love which she bears for her Divine Son, and because of Him, the love she bears for us, the children born from the sorrows They willingly offered, united, as it were, on the Cross. We invoke her help and protection privately and publicly in all our needs. Reverence to Our Lord in the Most Blessed SacramentThe mystery of the Epiphany also has Eucharistic overtones since they found Jesus, the Living Bread, in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “House of Bread,” and falling on their knees they did him homage (Matt. 2:11). Devotion to Our Lord’s Most Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood in the Blessed Sacrament is not just one more devotion. His Sacred Humanity is the instrument and cause of our salvation. All grace and holiness comes from His Humanity as its source. Jesus Christ, True God and True Man is the center of our Faith. Therefore, each and every member of Miles Jesu must be totally imbued with a profound devotion and reverence to Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and should foster this devotion in every way possible: in his efforts to receive Him in daily Mass. “Do not trust an apostle who does not hunger for daily Communion” (Constitutions, 205); in the manner in which he receives Holy Communion, as preferred by the Church (cf. Vat II post-Conciliar document Memoriale Domini); in the way he dresses for Holy Mass; in his remaining after Mass to make suitable thanksgiving after Holy Communion; in his seeking to be near the Blessed Sacrament with frequent visits; in his posture in prayer; in the distribution of the Miles Jesu literature which promotes the Blessed Sacrament. |