1st Epiphany
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| He Qi |
Matthew 2: 1-12
When
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea—during the time of King Herod—behold: wise
priest-kings from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the one born here King of the Jews? We
have seen his star rise in the east and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this, he was deeply
disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And he assembled all the high priests
and scribes of the people and inquired of them in what place the Christ was to
be born.
And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for
thus it was written by the prophet:
And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth the ruler
Who will be shepherd over my people, the true Israel.”
Then Herod, secretly calling the Magi together
again, inquired from them the exact time when the star had appeared. He
directed them to Bethlehem and said, “Go there and search carefully for the
child, and when you find him, report to me, that I too may go and bow down
before him.”
After they had heard the King, they went on their
way, and behold, the star that they had seen rising went before them, and led
them in its course over the cities until it stood over the place where the
child was.
Seeing the star, they were filled with [there
awakened in them] an exceedingly great and holy joy.
Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary
his mother; they fell down before him and worshipped him. Then they opened
their treasures and offered him their gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to
Herod, they departed to their country by another way.
Epiphany
Matthew 2: 1-12
The three wise priest-kings walked a star path. This path
drew them to the right place, at the right time. They brought their treasures
to the Christ Child—the gold of their wisdom, the frankincense of their
devotion, the myrrh of their capacity to heal. As in the fairy tales, these
beneficent beings bestow these heart qualities upon the Child, enlarging His
wisdom, adding to His powers of devotion and healing. Strange to think that the
Christ Child needed something from human beings.
We too are on our journeys, guided by our life’s star. We
may wonder where we are being drawn. We can wonder if the Christ, nascent in
humanity, needs anything from us.
He needs the devoted openness of our wonder; the wise
compassion of our hearts; our dedication to actions that in some measure bring
healing to the world. Through our openness, compassion and deeds of conscience,
we offer gifts of great value to Christ. We strengthen His work on and for the
earth.
When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say….
A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, …
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit….
May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner
ground;
That you may not waste the
invitations
Which wait along the way to
transform you.[1]
