Emmanuel
The first question the Magi ask is, “Where?” We often know intuitively
that we need to move outside of ourselves to come to deeper truths
and insight. The manifestation of Christ is not in the familiar but is to
be sought elsewhere. To experience the manifestation of God’s truth,
we must be “on the move.” When we are caught up in contemplative
wonder — holding a baby, watching a play, listening to dynamic
music, seeing the sun rise or set — our spirits move in equal parts joy
and curiosity. This is holy wonder and amazement.
Even on our best days, we shrink from wonder. That is because when
we do inhabit wonder, our conventional thoughts and our satisfaction
with the familiar are caught off guard. It was wonder that moved the
Magi out; first, to the borders of their familiar world and experience,
then beyond them into the darkness of paths never before trodden.
They caught a glimpse of something so powerful that they could not
place it in the orbit of their everyday experience. They had to go see
for themselves, “to do him homage.”
Christ’s star is from another world. Christ’s star opens to us that world.
It is unknown and at first seems foreboding and fearful. It is at once a
sign from the divine, the “other,” and an invitation to discover firsthand
the unforeseen kingdom of boundless mercy. We are ever beckoned
to explore, to look, to appreciate, to move, to consider, and to see
anew.
Matthew’s Gospel is a testimony to the truth that conversion moves us from
the outside in, not the inside out.
The Eucharist is never static, never wholly understood. It is a practice
not a routine. A practice involves focus and energy; a routine is
something we do without thinking, like brushing our teeth. A good
physicist never looks blithely or routinely into a telescope. The star
led the Magi as one who leads a dance guides our movement. Their
wonder kept rhythm with the power beyond them. They inquired at
the door of human power — Herod. He had all the “answers” at his
fingertips but failed to make the connection the wonder-filled Magi
inevitably made.
Mind in Motion: Receiving Truth
“When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem