It's the culture, stupid!

For the first time in my life, I am learning about the Three Epiphanies.  I always thought that it was a major, one off feast held on 6th January or the Sunday before that day but not so.  It is rather an Epiphany Season which features:
The adoration of Jesus by the three Magi;
The Baptism of the Lord;
The Wedding Feast of Cana.
Hence the Three Epiphanies.

I thought Epiphany simply originated from Christmas in developing the story of Jesus' birth.  IO saw Epiphany as giving the Christmas story a lovely finishing touch, but not so.  Rather I discover that Epiphany is higher in importance in the Church's liturgical calendar with its own standing.  So Epiphany is its own season following Christmas, with its own various gospel stories with their message of revealing Jesus to the nations as the Son of God and the Saviour of all humanity and history. 

Wow!  I found this mind blowing as it showed how truly narrow my world can be in the life of the universal Church.  I reflected that so much is determined for us by our limited worlds, knowledge and experience.  Truth is that there is so much to who we are and to the world to which we belong.   Living in Thailand where all, including church, is so rigidly defined by its culture, I keep having to remind myself that we belong to the universal Church, not just the Thai Church.  My experience here teaches me that our world and our church can be so limited by local culture.

Surely, this so applies to my everyday life in Thailand where culture so rules everything.  A key element to education here is the teaching of Thai values, or what is called Thainess.  As you face life here, so much is determined by culture which is ever the card that simply explains everything to life in Thailand.  It is said - "This is Thai culture" - and that is it.  But is it that simple?  Is such an approach hiding a wealth of otherness?  There is so much more to be revealed to life than what is defined by any one culture.  Our world, our life is so much bigger.  The gospel is here to transform our cultures.  I so clearly understand that after my discoveries surrounding Epiphany - a truly WOW season.

A blending of cultures