Mt.2: 1-12
A moving experience Mother Theresa has shared in her book titled ‘No greater love.’ One day she picked up a man from the gutter. His entire body was covered with worms. She brought him to their care home. He did not curse anyone or complaint about his suffering or tragic experiences that he had in the past. He remained contented and said: “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel loved and cared for…” She took almost three hours to clean his wounds. The dying man looked up at the sister and said: “Sister, I am going home to God.” With these words, he died… Later on, Mother Theresa recalled this event and said: “I have never seen such a radiant smile on a human face as the one I saw on the man’s face. He went home to God. See what love can do…” at times we may encounter God in the least expected place… Christmas is all about encountering God in the least expected place, a manger, periphery of Jerusalem. It is there the Lord was born…who all recognized him in the manger?
Today we celebrate the feast of the epiphany of the Lord. The visit of Magi revealed to us the universal dimension of the salvific mission of Christ. Their visit reminds us that not only Jews but also other nations were expecting a king. They arrived at Herod’s palace after their hectic and troublesome journey. Of course, they came to meet the long-awaited Messiah, the king of Jews. The world history tells us that no king had been born in the manger except Jesus. In the end, they had to come in terms with the fact that the newborn king is not there in the palace of King Herod. When they arrived at the manger, they find their saviour and paid their homage to him.
If we analyze this scene, it is quite clear that their calculations and notions concerning the expected king went wrong. There wasn’t a magnificent palace or glory that manifests his kingship. However, they were blessed with an inner eye to recognize the universal saviour in the manger. They found God in the least expected place. This place revealed to us human poverty and adversaries. They could have gone back without paying homage or offering gifts. Instead, they offered gifts that they brought wholeheartedly; gold to honour his kingship, frankincense to honour his eternal priesthood and Myrrh in anticipation of his funeral.
The feast of epiphany teaches us that we find God only in the peripheries with the ‘suffering humanity.’ No one was there to provide him shelter or the necessary comforts to withstand the biting cold. The magi recognized the divinity at this manager. At the same time King Herod, who was aware of all the prophecies, as soon as he came to know about the newborn, try to destroy him using all his powers. When he recognized the fact that magi went away without informing him about the newborn, he commits one of the most brutal murders of world history by wiping away an entire generation.
We need to recognize the fact that God is with the suffering humanity. Like magi, we need to abandon all our comfort zones and reach out to him and share our gifts with these people… Saints recognized Christ in our needy brethren… Mother Theresa says: “Love is a one-way street. It always moves away from self in the direction of the other. Love is the ultimate gift of ourselves to others. When we stop giving we stop loving, we stop growing and unless we grow we will never attain personal fulfilment, we will never open out to receive the life of God. It is through love we encounter God…” let us encounter Christ in the least expected place and in the least of our brethren… “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me…” (Mt.25:40)