January 8th, 2023
Reflection for The Epiphany of the Lord
How often do we try to have God come to our terms rather than force ourselves to come to His? How often do we derail God’s plan because we trust in ourselves more than we trust Him? And how often do our own plans end up doing us more harm than good? We are a Christian people that believe in the Lord and His promises and yet our own brokenness continues to mislead us time and time again. This week we hear the familiar story of the Magi who traveled a great distance so as to pay homage to the King of the Jews. Who were these Magi and where did they come from? They were Zoroastrians and astrologers; they had no allegiance to the Judeo-Christian God and yet allowed themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to come and worship this unknown King. They followed the star and brought gifts to the Babe, both homages having been foretold but carrying no significance to the esteemed travelers. And they listened to an angel in a dream and slipped away silently so as to not place the Christ-Child under the sword of one of Herod’s soldiers. Imagine for a moment what could have been, should the Magi have followed their own will rather than that of a God that was not their own.
Christ calls us to the humility of a child, the pureness of a child, and the trust of a child. If we have complete abandonment of ourselves and evict our own desires, we make more room for God and His perfect desires for us. We have a lot to learn from these strangers who traveled from afar to prostrate themselves in front of a child, their minds potentially full of self-doubt, uncertainty, or repugnance. Yet, they so beautifully unified themselves to the will of the Father, not quite grasping the immense significance of their doing so. If these men from distant lands with different gods were so eager to walk by faith and not by sight, what is stopping us?
Mrs. August Walkowski
Blessed Mary Mother of Dominic 