Dear Friends,
If all has gone well, then I am on retreat this week. Priests are required to take a retreat every year and 2021 had slipped by me without a retreat – so I am sneaking it in under the wire. I will be back soon. As a letter, I am giving you a little story written by my friend, Fr. Steve Boes. It bears the title, How the Magi Became the Wise Men.
For centuries, the Magi were the political and religious advisers to the Kings of Babylon. They wore pointy blue hats with stars on them because they followed the movement of stars, seeking the wisdom of the heavens. Three of the oldest were named Casper, Melchior and Balthazar. The Kings had always asked the same question of the Magi: “How do I create peace in the Kingdom?”
The Magi before them had answered this question in different ways. The Magi for the Babylonian Kings had suggested that you could “buy” peace with prosperity. The King spent his gold freely, and even gave rewards for peaceful behavior, but soon discovered that the peace only lasted as long as the gold did! The Magi for the Persian Kings had suggested that peace would come if only a magnificent palace could be built to inspire the people. At the dedication of the great palace, frankincense filled the air and the beautiful ceremony filled them with peace. But, as soon as the frankincense wafted away, so did the peace. Then came the Greek kings and the Magi hated these conquerors from the West, so they organized a revolt. So many men were killed that the air was filled with the scent of myrrh, which was used to embalm dead bodies.
Now, for their new Roman King, the Magi decided to consult the heavens once again and…were astonished to find that the stars were leading them to seek out “God’s New King” among the people of Judah. So, they set out, traveling far on camels, past all the big cities to a little town of Bethlehem. There they found a child, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. They laid at his feet the symbols of their failure: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Casper shook his head and said, “I can see now why God cannot buy peace. This child is God’s King and yet he has no riches.” Melchior looked around the dirty stable and said, “I can see now why frankincense filling an inspiring palace can never lead to peace.” Balthazar smiled and said, “I can see now why revolution and war can never lead to peace. Even if God’s new King had a sword, his little arms could not wield it!” That was the day that the Magi learned that peace is built by giving of self and not riches, by what is inside a person rather than a grand building, and by laying down the sword to choose love.
The Magi took home with them a gift greater than the ones they left behind. Whenever they sat down to advise their King, they simply closed their eyes and remembered the face of God’s New King. Soon their fame spread far and wide as they became known as the Three Wise Men.
May we, too, simply close our eyes and remember the face of God’s New King. A perfect way to begin this new year. For this truly is the path to wisdom.
Peace,
Fr. Damian