[1]As a man was enjoying his Christmas gifts, his sister sent him an unexpected gift via e-mail. A story about their father she'd heard at a reunion party.
They were remember his father who was a very quiet man, who owned a small grocery store, earned his GED when he was in his 40s, and eventually became a government meat inspector. When he retired, he went around the corner to another small grocery store to sit at their register to check people out. If kept him our of the house, out of his wife's hair, and quite frankly, kept him sane since he'd started working when he was 14 and really didn't know what to do with his day if he wasn't.
One day a young man, about 15, came into the grocery store. He was a neighborhood kid, his dad knew him, as he knew everyone in the neighborhood. The kid had a gun and held it on his dad demanding money. His dad took the gun from the kid, sent the kid out of the store and put the gun in a paper bag. When work was over, his dad walking to the home of the young man's father and returned the gun. Telling the father what happened with the assumption the father would want to know if the young man was walking down the wrong path and the young man needed to be set straight.
As the man read what his sister wrote, his eyes widened with amazement. "My father, my quiet, unassuming, 'start every day at the 7 a.m. Mass and never raise his voice' father, had confronted a gun-wielding teenager and taken the gun from him. Then quietly walked to the boy's home, to give his father a chance to make a difference rather than call the police." Doing all this without, apparently, mentioning it anyone.
Reading that story, the man realized he had groun up with this man. Thought he knew him. He knew of his kindness to so many young people he helped with no fuss or bother or need for acknowledgement. He knew of his gentleness having watched him handle his mother, who was, some might say, high maintenance on many levels. He watched him work 6 1/2 days a week in the store to put food on the table and still find time to do the books for the Knights of Columbus.
Yet knowing all that, what he didn't realize was what a quiet hero he was and the inner strength he possessed. His father took a gun away from a young man and gave that young man a chance to try again.[2]
The
blessings of God, our Father, we hear in our scriptures today, went out to the
whole world—not just to our Jewish brothers and sisters, but to all. So why does God allow so much chaos in the
world? Even at the birth of Jesus,
scripture tells us, there was no peace!
We know how King Herod stayed in power.
He killed people, his family, even the young children after the Magi “departed
for their country by another way” (Mt 2:12).
So what does this epiphany tell us?
What did the wise men see? What
kind of king did they see in a baby lying in a manger? Were their eyes opened, did they begin to
realize what would come forth from a feeding trough?
This
Jesus, who would become Christ, would feed us, sustain us, and invite us with
Eucharist. So, from being fed from the
feeding trough, to being fed at the altar in Eucharist, the two come together
and can never be separated. This is
God’s way to invite us to another chance “to be” Eucharist. He invites us to be a Eucharistic people—to
regain what is lost.
Perhaps
the wise men saw new life, new joy, a new family, but they also knew
death. Yet they knew the child could
bring it all to resurrection.[3]
During
this New Year, maybe it’s time to learn from our wise men. Maybe it’s our time to let love in. We must live together and love together. Not just within our own formation cohorts,
home groups or parishes, but with all God’s children. When the gospel is preached in its purity and
lived with integrity, there is no place for racism, sexism, ageism, or any
other ism that corrupts and divides. At
its best, Christianity is a unifying force, helping people of nations and
cultures all over the world to practice justice and live in peace. This feast of the Epiphany reminds us, not
only to tolerate, but also to respect people of other faiths.[4]
So
when disasters occur, wars take place, or there is unrest in our own lives,
maybe God is asking all of us to realize we are all one family, God’s family
that we all belong to Him and He wants to give us another chance to be in
communion. If this happens, we know this
little baby in a manger, from the feeding trough in Bethlehem, will always feed
us at this altar and bring us all to resurrection. The ultimate unexpected gift for all God’s
children.
[1] New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition. © 1986. Scriptures: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts
10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17.
[2] adn.com, “Story
about parent an unexpected gift”, by Elise Patkotak. Published December 21,
2010.
[3] Naked, and You Clothed Me, Editied by Deacon
Jim Knipper © 2013. “Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts gold, and
frankincense and myrrh.” by Msgr. Walter Nolan
[4] Sundays with Jesus, James DiGiacomo, SJ © 2007.
Paulist Press, New York/Mahwah, NJ.
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