Mons. Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the Gospel of the Feast of the Epiphany, titled: “May all people worship you, Lord.”
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Isaiah 60, 1-6: “The glory of the Lord dawns upon you”
Psalm 71: “Let all people worship you, Lord”
Ephesians 3, 2-3. 5-6: “The pagans also share the same inheritance as us”
Saint Matthew 2, 1-12: “We have come from the East to worship the king of the Jews”
The old woman has spent a long time contemplating the Nativity scene, made with great love and simplicity. After her silence and adoration, she finally gets up, somewhere between comforted and nostalgic: “Today I have been thinking, and I have been looking at the holy Kings, each one with their color and their clothing… They were able to look at the star of the Child Jesus, and they adored him… We are no longer able to look at the stars, let alone leave something to get closer… I was also thinking that the little gifts they gave him would be very nice, but his heart would be even more beautiful.” It is the simplicity and thoughts of a woman who takes worship seriously, who believes in the stars, and who is willing to offer the much or the little that she has. She is left longing for those bygone times when her grandparents told her about the stars and her journeys. Today, we no longer have time to look at the stars.
Three Kings’ Day is not a nice story to excite children with a small gift, nor is it a historical account of events that occurred many years ago. It is a story that reveals man’s deepest desires and his search for motives that guide his steps, but it is also the manifestation of Jesus as the light of all men. No one is excluded from the love of God manifested in the child made flesh. Does man go towards God? There is a deep longing in the heart of man for eternity that will be satisfied with nothing. We can disguise it by satiating ourselves with minutiae and material things, but within will be found this thirst for divinity. Before man is conscious of searching, there is the twinkling of the stars, which are messages of love from God who seeks man. God never tires of searching, never tires of making new stars appear, never tires of overcoming darkness so that man can find his way.
However, man has the possibility and freedom to make mistakes. Why are these wise men from the East looking for The Savior, while Herod remains undaunted in his fortress, without realizing that the new King has been born? They are the path of light and the path of death that intersect on the horizon of every person. Herod has set his heart on power and ambition. To preserve them he uses everything: lies, calculation and crime. His path is the same as that of all those who are seduced by power and ambition: no matter the cruelty, the terror, the contempt for human beings and the destruction of innocent people. This is confirmed by the historical data of so many tyrants who have executed all possible opponents. They are confirmed by powerful mafia organizations, child trafficking, drug trafficking and cartels that rape, destroy, execute.
Today, as I write these lines, I receive the painful news that new graves of unknown bodies have been located in unexpected places. Where is the heart of these mercenaries of power and money? Also confirming this path of death, although perhaps they do so surreptitiously and even with the appearance of kindness, are the modern projects and systems that forget the immense masses that are dying of hunger and despair, while they secure the capital and immense fortunes and power of some few signatures and a few people. Today, Herod is very present in these new tyrants, but he also becomes present in the hearts of each of us when we allow ourselves to be seduced by ambition and despise the Christ who becomes flesh in each small and defenseless person.
On the other hand, the Magi of the East represent the man who allows himself to be enthralled by the brilliance of a star, who abandons his comforts and sets out in search of his ideal. Go out, abandon, search… it is the man who is alive and who wants to find and find himself. It means leaving that apathy and foolish passivism that is based on reasons of order, comfort or well-being. God is looking for you, but you must open your doors and go out to meet him. A house with closed doors, obstructed windows, and airtight gates does not receive light, but it rots inside. There is no worse solution than doing nothing. Although going out brings dangers, it is preferable to passivity. It’s not the crazy adventure, it’s following a star and an ideal.
I am very struck by how the story confirms the discovery of the little boy: “They entered the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” It is the greatness of noble hearts: they know how to recognize, they know how to adore, they know how to welcome in silence. There are no words, but deep contemplation and adoration. We have many times lost this capacity for worship, and only we look for a useful god who pleases us and serves our selfish projects. We ask, we ask, but we do not contemplate. The Magi discover and adore the little one, the human face of God, the flesh of Divinity. Today we need to discover God in the little ones, in the flesh that he suffers, in the pain of every day. The gifts of the Magi are smaller than their adoration because they have offered their hearts. The gift doesn’t matter when the whole person has been given. And finally they return “by another path.” Whoever has discovered Jesus cannot continue on the same path as always, he has found the path of light, of love, of generosity. Thus, the God who manifests himself to everyone, finds hearts capable of receiving him; and the men who followed the star found God made man.
Will we have time to look at the Star? Will we allow ourselves to be seduced by his brilliance? Are we too pessimistic and apathetic? Epiphany, day of search, encounter, adventure. Day to look at the stars.
Good Father, who through a star moves the hearts of the simple, grant us the audacity to go out to meet your Son Jesus present in each of your little ones. Amen.
