The “ah ha!” Moment

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In an abbey in Kentucky, there is a Trappist monastery where the good Thomas More, the spiritual director of the 20th Century lived. I have never been to that abbey. I have only heard about it, so I googled it to see what it looked like. When you google the Abbey, it shows a bunch of pictures and there was one image that caught my attention. The Abbey is called the “Abbey of Gethsemane.”

There is a sculpture outside the chapel, not too big, but a decent size sculpture of Mary. And the sculpture is Mary basically kneeling and raising up the Child Jesus. And Mary was looking at her child. It caught my attention because as I was looking at the image, I thought that Mary had, what I call, the “ah ha” moment.  The “ah ha” moment as she lifted and looked at the Child, saying “ah, my Son.” I thought of parents not just Moms. I thought of Dads as well, lifting their child for the first time and saying, “ah, my son, my daughter.” Mary had that tremendous “ah ha” moment. It is not only an “ah ha” moment but a moment of revelation, a moment of manifestation – basically God revealing to her who her Son was.  He was the Son of God.

Manifestation and revelation are basically the meaning of what we celebrate today. The word “Epiphany” means manifestation; it means revelation. Each year, you and I encounter this beautiful story of the three Kings and it is a story, if I may say, that defines Christianity. It is the story of people on a pilgrimage and here comes the Magi. The Magi who were gentiles; the Magi who were considered outsiders, but the Magi had one purpose. They were on a quest. They were searchers. They were searching for the Christ child.

In today’s gospel, Matthew presents us with the story of the Magi but when we look at the sacred scripture, we do not really know how many wise men there were. We only know that there were three wise men because of the three gifts. The gifts were, as Matthew says, gold, frankincense and myrrh. And because there were three gifts, tradition then tells us that there were three wise men and they were even named. Remember their names? Melchior, Baltazar and Gaspar. So by tradition, we know there are three wise men. Although we know very little about the wise men, as I said earlier, there is one thing that is true about their story.  They were on a quest in search for the newborn King of the Jews.

When the wise men appear in history, they had a very simple yet profound question. The question is this, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?” It is a question they asked themselves.  It is a question perhaps that we need to ask ourselves. It is a question that is being asked quite often especially during this very difficult time in our world. It is the question—where is the newborn King of the Jews?  It is a question that is asked by people who live in darkness and find life without purpose. It is a question that haunts every single believer who tries to look for the Christ child: Where is the newborn King of the Jews?

The Magi found the answer.  They found the newborn King of the Jews, surprisingly not in the place they expected. And so often in our lives, that is so true. When we try to look for the newborn King of the Jews, the Christ child, we often find the Christ child in places we least expect.

So where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews is in every land and every people. For example, the newborn King of the Jews is in the place where tradition tells us the Magi came from:  Persia; Iran; Iraq.  The newborn King of the Jews is found in Iraq and Iran especially through the Dominican Sisters, who are there trying to catechize, form and educate children. The newborn King of the Jews is found in that place where the Sisters try to minister and proclaim the Good News of the Lord Jesus.

Where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews, my brothers and sisters, is found in every single doctor, in every single nurse, in every single medical staff member, in every single frontliner and first responder, trying to help every single one in need. They are tired, yes, and yet these frontliners, medical staff members, first responders try their very best to help, to serve, and to minister to people.  Because in those people, they recognize the presence of the newborn King of the Jews, the Christ.

Where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews is found in places where the hungry are fed; where the naked are clothed; where those who are in prison are visited; where those who are ill are cared for; and where there is meaningful dialogue; where there is forgiveness; where there is unity; and where there is reconciliation, we find the newborn King of the Jews.

Where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews is found in places such as where the Magi found him – where the light dispels the darkness. Where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews is found in this celebration. Christ is truly present in His word. And Christ is truly present in the gifts of bread and wine that we bring and later become for us the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Where is the newborn King of the Jews? The newborn King of the Jews is found in every single one of us. My brothers and sisters, it has been nine days since we celebrated the great solemnity of Christmas. We have unwrapped our gifts but let us not forget that God has given us the most precious gift of all.  And that is the gift of His Son. And as someone puts it, the gift of His Son is the present of God’s presence to all of us.

As we end the great season of Christmas next weekend, let us not forget to continue to live out the Spirit of Christmas.  Let us not toss the Spirit of Christmas on the curb with the Christmas tree. Rather, let us continue to make sure that the star, the light of Christ continues to shine brightly.

As I end this homily, let me remind us all of what Howard Thurman, author and American theologian, wrote about the true meaning of Christmas. Thurman says, “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone; when the kings and the princes are home; when the shepherds are back with their flock; the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers and sisters, to make music in the heart.”

That, my friends, is our “ah ha” moment.  That my friends is what Christmas means and that is what Epiphany means. So, today, may you and I be that light, so when people ask the question, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews,” they may find the Christ in every single one of us.

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