Christmas finally winds down this weekend with the celebration of Epiphany, the delightful tale of the Magi's visit to the Bethlehem cave. Following a star across the desert wastes, they arrived with gifts for the newborn king of the Jews, and returned home by another way.
From the time of Francis of Assisi, Christmas cribs across the world have romanticized the scene, gussied it up with glowing lights and beautifully painted figures. Kids love to gaze at the scene, their eyes dwelling on every detail. The whole Christmas crib sparks their vivid imaginations. The visit of the Magi is symbolic and is addressed to the imagination.
The Gospel says they received final directions from Herod's priests and scribes and, setting off, were overjoyed when the star rested over the place where Jesus was. I bet they didn't expect to find the newborn king of the Jews in the form of a dirt poor family far from home and sheltering in a cave with animals. God comes in unexpected ways to those who seek. Sometimes my phone rings while I'm engaged in something else, like writing this piece or preparing a homily. Religion has conditioned me to find God in church things, like the Eucharist and the sacraments. For years I have had to give myself a dig in the ribs when the phone rings, and say, 'There's Jesus - go listen to him!'
I was in Walgreens over Christmas, and in a great hurry. The check-out lines were long and slow and I was anxious to be out and off to the next thing on the list.Then I paused and had a prayer-thought: Jesus was there - in the line, in the cashier, in the old person who was trying to count out pennies in her hand and getting confused. Jesus was in me, too. That line of thought calmed me and I went out feeling more relaxed than when I went in.
Arriving at the place, their prayers having been answered, they looked at the child, did him homage and offered gifts. Their gifts of thanks and gratitude were symbolic of what we do when we pray. When I pray for my recently deceased grand-nephew, I'm asking God to make me realize what a gift Nicky was to me and to our family. When I pray for continued good health I'm really thanking God for the gift of life, and acknowledging that all life and all good things are gifts from God. My gratitude - my gold, frankincense, and myrrh - takes the form of the Eucharist (thanksgiving) and all it implies.
So the story of the Magi this Sunday is a story of people discovering Christ in unexpected circumstances, and being changed as a result; the Magi returned home by a different route. The glory of the Lord followed them and in its light they must have discovered the divine everywhere they went. My experience at Walgreens two days before Christmas changed my attitude. Prayer opens us to a larger vista and helps us see who we are in the bigger picture. G.K. Chesterton was once asked what was wrong with the world. "I am," he answered without hesitation. He saw the bigger picture, and he was not the centerpiece.
PASTOR EMERITUS
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