Feast of the Epiphany
Cycle C
January 3, 2016 10:00am and 12
noon
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Violence in Bethlehem
The
gospel tells us that the three magi or wise men return home “by another way.”
They
are warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Herod feels threatened by this newborn child
who is seen as a kind of king for his people.
And
so, he ends up killing a number of baby boys in the Bethlehem area as a way to
make sure he would eliminate the Christ Child.
The magi don’t go back to report to Herod but go home “by another way.”
That
expression – “by another way” –
definitely means a geographical route. I
wonder if it also means that the magi reject the way of violence and take the “other way” of peace.
Violence Today
The
violence that happened in Bethlehem is also seen in our world today.
ISIS
is the most dramatic example of sheer, inhumane violence. But there are other examples.
In
some countries, violence is directed at entire religious and ethnic groups. In our own country, more innocent individuals
than we want to think about are victims of homicide or mass shootings.
And
then, the words we use when we speak to one another and about one another are
sometimes quite violent. Sometimes anger
or frustration, and sometimes simply differences between us spark verbal
expressions that are in truth violent.
I
wonder if this verbal violence is the cause of a weakening of respect for one
another and the cause of a lot of physical violence. We cannot discount the impact of this verbal
violence.
Peace in Bethlehem
Now,
in sharp contrast to this, we have Jesus’ birth.
We
have this scene of complete peace in Bethlehem.
And I think that this manger or nativity scene is magnetic.
It
draws our attention and we do not tire of it.
Again, I have to wonder if there is this magnetism to the manger because
it speaks to what we really want to be and be like.
Jesus,
God-with-is, is peaceful and not violent.
He is all-powerful as the Son of God but he always respects the dignity
and life of others.
And
surrounding this infant, there are persons with great differences – much
diversity. There are the poor,
uneducated shepherds, citizens from nearby.
And
there are the wealthy, educated magi, visitors from some other country. And they, surrounding the child Jesus, are
all at peace with him and with one another.
So,
I believe that we are drawn to the manger, the nativity scene because of what
we really want to be and be like. We
want to be peaceful persons, at peace within ourselves and at peace with one
another.
Peace Today
So, I recommend: Let’s allow ourselves to be drawn to Jesus and
this nativity scene.
Let’s keep this before our mind’s eye not just here at Christmas
time, but in every season and on every day of the year. If we do this, then this
peaceful child and this peaceful scene will little by little transform us.
This scene moves us to relate with one another in non-violent, respectful,
peaceful ways. And, I believe, this will
begin with the words we use – words of respect that create an environment of
peace, and not words that are a form of violence.
