Some people have made a resolution or two for 2024. I confess I haven't. I considered books I always thought I should read. I'm not going to read them this year either.
Perhaps it's best to focus more on the presence of God in our lives, within ourselves, and to let the glory of God shine forth in our daily routine.
Knowing human nature about resolutions, here's a good maxim from the Italian poet Dante Alighieri: "The secret of getting things done is to act!"
Today we celebrate the Epiphany: the showing of the child Jesus as the Messiah.
Over the holidays, I was with some Franciscan sisters and we spoke about the origins of the Feast of the Epiphany, “little Christmas.” One sister said that if the magi had been wise women, they would have asked for directions, arrived on time to help deliver the baby, and brought practical gifts.
The word of God from Isaiah takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. Babylonia destroyed Jerusalem and deported many Jews. Then Persia conquered Babylonia, and the Jews were set free, to rebuild their city. Today's passage refers to a new Jerusalem. A divine light will emanate from this shining city on a hill and all people, Jews and non-Jews, will walk by this light.
Christians see Jesus as this light who illuminates darkness, the light who shows human beings the ultimate purpose of life: to be in relationship with God and thereby manifest God's glory through who we are and what we do for others.
St. Paul's letter to the Christian community at Ephesus in Turkey outlines our future: we are coheirs to the kingdom of God, co-workers of Jesus in bringing about the fullness of the kingdom. Jesus is indeed our guide in this work: a path for the lost; bread for the spiritually hungry; an arm for the weak; a companion for the lonely; a beacon of hope for all.
In the Gospel, we have all the ingredients of a great story: exotic visitors, a wicked king, court intrigue, a mysterious star, precious gifts, a new child. The magi, non-Jews, give homage to this Jewish child with highly symbolic gifts.
Gold can symbolize kingship or divinity, the things of God; and the coin of this child’s heavenly realm are the virtues of self-discipline, patience, compassion, responsibility, friendship, courage, perseverance, honesty, decency, respect and faith in God. Good virtues for our own lives.
Frankincense with its wonderful fragrance and medicinal magic can symbolize healing, and this child came to heal our wounds and bridge the chasm separating us from God and one another. We too are called to be healers.
Myrrh can symbolize a burial ointment, and this child through his dying/rising re-established our relationship with God and made us co-heirs to God’s promise of eternal life.
This newborn messiah, completely human and completely divine and soon to grow into adulthood with the help of his family, is the exemplar of an authentic human being.
With Jesus as our model God invites us, from infinite possibilities, to become the best version of ourselves.But what is that? What is our essential purpose?
We are called to be in relationship with God by living a holy life, every man and every woman, without exception, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background, career or calling in life.
Holiness is allowing God to enter into the very fiber of our being so that we can be our best through who we are and everything we do. It's a willingness to go the extra mile to make something “just right”; it's striving to choose right in all our decisions, small and great, affecting work, career, family and social life, leisure time.
Yes, with Jesus as our model, as we begin a new year, now is a wise time to renew ourselves spiritually. A wise mystic observed this about himself:
“When I was young, my prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’
“As I approached middle age and realized my life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends.’
“Now that I am old, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself, to become the best version of myself.’ ”
Now is indeed time to begin again, to re-energize our lives, to strive to become the best version of ourselves. This day, this year. As Dante said, "The secret of getting things done is to act!" Amen.
