In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
My dearly beloved in Our Lord,
At Christmas Our Lord was introduced as the Prince of peace upon Whose shoulder dominion rests (Introit, Mass on the Day; Is 9:6). Otherwise, when he was born from Our Lady, ever Virgin, he revealed himself to the poor and the lowly, to the shepherds.
“Behold, the Lord and Ruler is come.” With these words the Introit of the Epiphany begins. Now Our Lord reveals himself as the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Three holy men, wise men and rulers, have undertaken a long journey in order to venerate the new-born “King of the Jews” (Gospel). Their relics are the great treasure of the richest diocese in the world: They are in the cathedral of Cologne in Germany, above the main altar. (The mensa of this altar is made from a single piece of black marble and measures 452x212cm, that is 9,58m², very probably the largest altar in the world.)
Many princes and kings have followed their footsteps, but unfortunately by far not all of them!
How come these three wise men, kings and magicians, are venerated as Saints?
It is obvious from the few facts the Gospel tells us about them.
We see their conduct with regards to King Herod. Naturally, since they had not been informed otherwise, they looked for the new-born King in the capital and in the ruler’s palace. Therefore they made their way to Jerusalem. The power-crazy King Herod is troubled by their coming and their message. He seeks advice from those who are supposed to know about “strange things” – the wise men were talking about a star that announced to them his birth – and learns that he must have been born in Bethlehem, according to the Scriptures. Fortunately liberals and other crazy people do not behave overly rationally, they do not act with logic. Even though Bethlehem is quite close to Jerusalem, Herod does not even consider accompanying them. He thinks that he will out-smart them by telling them that they should go and find the new-born child, then come back to tell him about him. But God cannot be outdone in wisdom and knowledge, and therefore an Angel instructs them to leave by a different route.
Therefore we must conclude that the three Holy Kings were very virtuous. They were humble and without pretense. They were wise and docile. They were not inclined to side with the powerful of this earth for the sake of power or ostentation. Their prudence taught them that there was something profoundly wrong with this King Herod, and therefore they did not waste any time in Jerusalem. They were soon back on their camels or horses and wandered off.
Then the Gospel tells us: “And behold, the star that they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. And when they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly.”
If we put ourselves briefly in their place, we can only shudder thinking how we might have behaved then. They have traveled for many days, following the star. They had used their brains in order to find the child. Herod was less than welcoming – just that he did not imprison and kill them… - What would we have done or thought, had we been in their place? Very probably most of us would have wailed and complained “about God being so unjust, and how can He permit things like this to happen”? This was not their attitude: As they leave Herod and Jerusalem and see the star again, they rejoiced exceedingly: “gavísi sunt gáudio magno valde”, writes St Matthew. Literally that is: “They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” They were very happy.
We notice the same later when they are told to change their plans: “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another way.” Again, no sign or mentioning of them complaining, or showing impatience or discontent.
Why is that? And why is our attitude and behavior so different from theirs, many times?
The holy Magi had come for a distinct and clear purpose: to honor the new-born King of kings by their adoration and their deeply symbolic presents. They did not lose sight of that purpose even though the tide seemed to turn against them. They persevered and carried on with prudence and circumspection, with courage and firm conviction.
Therefore we should imitate them in their attitude and their virtues. Even though the actual situation in the world seems calamitous, there is no point in us complaining and wailing. On the contrary, we are better off thinking how much worse our days could be, or could have been.
Above all, let us progress in trusting God’s Providence. Divine Providence is nothing else but the daily concrete exercise of God’s Fatherhood which is all goodness and perfection. May Our Lord grant us ever greater and firmer Faith in these basic qualities of God, Who is the light, the truth, and all-good. May He enlighten the darkness of our minds, strengthen us in professing and vindicating the truth, and heal us from our sinful perversion.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
P. Arnold Trauner (paterarnold@hotmail.com), njemački i engleski
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar