Good Morning! A blessed Christmas to each of you – those present in this chapel and those who are with us through the wonders of technology.
Today’s reading from the Book of Isaiah proclaims, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” In this age of confusion and disruption, people around the globe are on the move, fleeing violence, crushing poverty, and even despair. Yet, despite all the unrest and uncertainty that people are faced with, today we have Matthew’s Gospel account of the Epiphany which presents us with another journey – a journey of faith, trust, and hope.
Scripture tells us very little about the travelers, the Magi from the East. Some accounts tell us they were astrologists – educated men who had studied the prophesies and were vigilant in their search for a special star. Some claim they represented the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe while other accounts are more specific claiming they came from India, Ethiopia, and Persia. What is most important is that which we do know - they recognized a special star and were compelled to follow it – the light had come. They had traveled for many months until they reached a small house in a small village over which a star shone in all its brilliance. Their exhausting journey had ended and they humbly offered gifts fit for a king – not a human king but a divine one. All we know after that visit is that they returned home by a different route to avoid the evil plans of King Herod. I wonder what their lives were like after that encounter with the Holy Family. I would presume that visit was a life-changing event and their lives were never the same afterwards.
And then we have the Blessed Mother – a role model for us who encountered these unfamiliar guests bearing unusual gifts. She welcomed them rather than turn them away. She had done the same thing when a band of shepherds from the hillsides near Bethlehem visited them, singing God’s praises and speaking of the appearance of angels. It is worth noting that it was not King Herod or the scribes or the priests of the temple of Israel who welcomed the newborn king but outsiders, foreigners, who were open to God’s presence.
And what does this say to us? Does this beckon us to open our doors and our hearts to different people rather than miss the opportunity to welcome bearers of God’s spirit and God’s word? We have so many opportunities to welcome the stranger - food drives, special collections, Days for Girls project, the annual pajama drive, our monthly Rosary for Peace…the list goes on. It is up to each of us to follow Mary’s model and in so doing, we will never be the same.
In conclusion, I would like to share with you a poem written by Howard Thurman, a Christian theologian and educator who wrote:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
Now our work of Christmas really begins.
Are we up to the challenge?
– Sister Maryann Summa, OP
Sister Maryann: Retired Educator, Leadership Team Member, and Prioress, a Tech Whiz and Dedicated Volunteer.