As we celebrate today the feast of epiphany, we are reminded that Christ is no longer hidden, God is no longer a mystery to us, but he is made manifest to each one of us. Two categories of people manifest themselves: those genuinely searching for Christ and the pretenders; those positively troubled by the news about Christ and those negatively troubled by the birth of Christ. Which group do I belong to? The three wise men referred as the magi are looking for the king who is born to adore and worship him. They have no sinister motive about that and the birth of Christ has brought joy into their lives. Contrary to that, king Herod is terrified by the news about another king and pretends to have the desire to pay homage to him after the magi find baby Jesus. His search for Christ was a search for his own personal glory and security of tenure. He was troubled by the news and wanted to eliminate the threat. There are some of us who feel troubled by prayers, by the presence of God or even of religious people. They dont feel comfortable in the church, in the midst of a priest, nun, or lay people considered as people of great faith. Some people will make everything possible to be absent during small Christian Community mass even at their very own homes. Others are irritated by any religious/Godly images, songs, reflections or news even through the social media. These are the ones who resemble king Herod who without even seeing Christ he was already scared of him. Something must be wrong if we behave like Herod. These different attitudes call our attention as to why we look for Jesus/God in a particular church, place of worship or religion. Have I moved from one church/denomination, religion to another and for which reason (marriage, convenience, as a hiding place, seek favors, avoid others...)? When I go to church and when I seek to encounter God in prayer, let the desire to find and adore Jesus be the priority and not for evil plots or to gain anything unspiritual. Whatever benefits come upon us as a result of our worship is purely by Gods grace. The wise men in fact carried gifts to the newly born child representing his kingly state (gold), priestly function (incense) and his embalming at death (with myrrh). What we offer to God is not necessarily the most expensive gift, but symbolic and a recognition of who God is for us. Herod wanted every detail from the wisemen about baby Jesus so that he could easily trace him and kill him. We have a number of cases whereby people come to seek help in parishes and other offices. They have all details about you and the office but only for their personal gain and fraud. How many employers, bosses, colleagues do everything possible to eliminate, undermine, sabotage, those they consider a threat to their carrier or position? Such people do not seek the help of others with a genuine heart but seek their own glory and want to maintain their positions instead of offering service. Let us discover the truth of what is making us behave so and let the light of the manifested Christ shine upon us. We can evade the trap of the devil or of evil minded people in life. The wise men obeyed God through the dream and never returned to Herod after seeing the messiah who was born. Let us also have the courage to avoid the trap of those who want to make us collaborate with evil. By Christs birth we have surely been made wise by his grace. All the nations and people from east to west, south to north can now find Christ our star and offer their gifts to this eternal king. After the Xmas and new year holidays, may I wish you a blessed start/continuation of your duties, studies and work.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 18:11:10 +0000
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