Jan. 5, 2014: Epiphany
Click to hear: What Child is This
Do you ever watch those reality shows about choosing a bride's wedding gown or the bride's maids' gowns? Gentlemen, I don't even expect you to know what I'm talking about. Since I officiate at one or two weddings a month, I sometimes watch these shows out of curiosity. Through these shows, I have come to appreciate how much time, energy, and money go into making even the smallest of details of each wedding just right.
Being featured on any reality show of course is a double edged sword. You can gain fame, but you can also become infamous. You have heard how they say that on TV you look 15 pounds heavier? Well also on TV, your selfishness blows up to the size of the 60" crystal clear HDTV. Just as we marvel at how we can see every blemish on someone's face on these high definition TVs, we also see their glaring personal faults, namely their insistence on having their own way. Their insistence makes everyone uncomfortable, including the TV viewers. Is it because we see in the TV personalities so much of what we do in real life?
I wish there was a reality show dedicated to revealing real people who seek Christ in their lives. Certainly, this show would have to feature people who struggle with their faults--selfishness, impatience, rudeness, worldliness-- and would also show how these people try to find time during their busy day to pray, seek Jesus and try to see Jesus in others. It would also have to show people who are humble enough to admit that they have failed. Wouldn’t it be cool to see people seeking forgiveness from Jesus and those they have offended. I have yet to see a reality TV program that shows such persons seeking Jesus in the midst of the dilemmas. I’ve read that producers usually edit out those kind of clips from their shows. Conflicts, tensions, and selfishness sell; faithfulness to Christ and reconciliation do not sell well on TV.
We see a glimpse of such reality TV in today's Gospel passage where the Magi travel a long distance seeking Jesus. Along the way they encounter King Herod, who represents the part of us that loves the limelight, hates being second fiddle, and hates losing control. In someway, we are all tempted to be this kind of earthly king. Yet guided by the divine light from the star, these Magi are led to a very different King--a humble servant of servants who loves by self-sacrifice. These men are not forced to come to Him. These men have something that we too can have if we but turn our gaze away from being absorbed with the things of the world -- they have a desire to see Jesus.
How many of you made New Year Resolutions? Are these among your resolutions: Like the Magi, will we long to know Jesus? Will we seek Him, and will we behold the Christ Child and love as he loved? Will we seek peaceful ways to resolve conflicts and tensions in our daily lives? These are the gifts that we need to bring to the Christ Child just as did the Magi: desire to know him, desire to love as he loved, desire to be peaceful. Let us behold the Christ Child today. He will guide us to live a very different life in this world where we are encouraged to behold our own self. Let us turn to Jesus at all times. His heart will teach us to know how to truly love. There will be suffering, but all will be for the glory of Jesus our King.
