Let’s be like the magi

THE Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord reminds us of

that beautiful story of the three magi who embarked on a difficult

journey to find Jesus, the expected Messiah of all men. That they did

not know exactly where to find him did not prevent them from doing it.

They just depended on a star. And they brought precious gifts. It must

have been quite an adventure!

            As if the usual difficulties and the many unknowns in that

journey were not enough, they had to contend with the wily designs of

the king of that time which they were unaware of. But God, in his

loving providence, guided them and protected them from harm.

            Like the magi, we too should also make our search for

Jesus amid the many confusing and even hostile elements of the world.

Guided by the star of our faith, let’s proceed with our daily

adventure of looking for Christ in all corners of the world, in all

moments of the day and in all circumstances of our life. Let’s not be

afraid. God never abandons us and will guide us in his own mysterious

ways. Let’s just be game.

            Like the magi, we too should bring our precious gifts

which in the end are not just a matter of things, no matter how

valuable they are, but rather of giving our whole life, our whole mind

and heart, our whole selves to him.

            We can be sure that whatever generosity we show Christ

will always pale in comparison to the generosity he will shower on us.

Let’s not be sparing in making that deal.

            Let’s learn to undertake this lifelong adventure of

looking for Christ, training ourselves to see him in everything and in

everyone, and in all the situations and circumstances of our life,

whether they be good or bad according to our human standards.

            Let’s keep ourselves from straying from this path that is

proper for us. Let nothing or no one lead us astray. We are actually

sufficiently guided and protected. Things would just depend on us,

whether we correspond to God’s will and ways or not.

            Everyday, we can make some kind of plan, something doable

and not just theoretical, that would help us concretely and

effectively in looking for Christ. In this, let us try to assume the

attitude once described by St. Paul:

            “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what

lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward

call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3,13) Yes, indeed, we have to have

the mind of an athlete in looking for Christ. We should not be

complacent in this duty.

            Christ is actually with us all the time. We just have to

be guided by faith, more than just by our senses and our intelligence

that is not yet engaged with faith, but only with the material things

or the materially-based or temporally-bound intelligible things.

            Whatever we handle in this world, the least that we can do

to relate them to God, is that the things we are handling are also

creatures of God. They may be stained by our sins and foolishness, but

at bottom, they come from God. They should somehow point us to God.

And from there, get to know the finer nuances of God’s will and ways

in those things.

            If we do our part, like the magi we will always find

Christ in everything, no matter how distorted the image of Christ may

be in things or in persons we deal with or in the situations we may

find ourselves in.