Interestingly, now factor in this new
element that the story is actually about five kings and it becomes broader and
richer in message and meaning. For
instance, because the original sin is pride: the evil one boasts to Adam and Eve
“You will become like God” in the Garden of Eden. The original sin of pride immerges as our first parents buy into egotism that originally got the devil kicked out of heaven in the
first place. Now in the Epiphany story,
we see King Herod succumb to pride – his feelings are hurt; there may be
another king around! And we also witness the resulting power and control that
eventually leads him to kill hundreds of children.
The Epiphany story is also about the
“pill”, the elixir, the cure for the original sin of pride – humility. Instead of pride, power and wealth – the King
of Kings is found lying in a lowly manger, in utter poverty because there was
no room for him in the inn. In the
Epiphany story Jesus not only teaches through the Gospel writers, he also demonstrates in his own body
what it takes to be a King, or for that matter to have power of any sort. He comes to us poor, homeless, living among
animals, empty, persecuted by the powerful, a migrant, an immigrant, despised
and rejected. Counter to human wisdom,
he actually exhibits all the heavenly marks of a true king.
Ultimately, only the humble wise men could truly see the significance of who he is and what he is destined to accomplish in his lifetime. Herod did not see or know it; that is because “God opposes the proud” the Bible tells us. In the same respect God “Gives grace to the humble.” Only the humble wise men could see God; and for that matter, the poor, dirty and homeless shepherds who were working in the fields some days earlier.
And so this is Christmas. A time when we celebrate that God’s world is
upside down, inside out, opposite and inconceivable to the mind of man. We are reminded that being clothed in wealthy
threads, riches and fortune, power and control, all prevent us from seeing the
real Lord. Christmas also reminds us
that the poorest, broken, despised and persecuted among us may actually be the
living saints among us too. In the
stories of Christmas and the Epiphany we encounter the true God of the Bible living up to his word when he spoke, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your
ways.” Isaiah 55:8
_______________ -
Invite your family and friends to Subscribe! to Homeless In America.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote in the polls.
- List yourself as a blog follower, middle right column.
- Donate! to the poor homeless deliveries of food, water, clothing, blankets, socks, underwear, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, pocket Bibles, rosaries and prayer cards at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless
- Post checks to - Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.
No comments:
Post a Comment