Two parts of this specific reading really struck me.
Firstly, I was interested in King Herod's response to the birth of Jesus. You see, King Herod at the time of Jesus' birth was the king of the Jews. When he heard that a new King had been born, he felt threatened. As a response, he directed the Magi to "go and search diligently" for the newborn child. Put yourself in King Herod's position. You are a high and mighty king and then out of nowhere some prophet says that a little baby has just been born who is going to take over your title? Yeah, I don't think so. So instead of just "brushing this off," Herod did everything in his power to find this baby because just by His existence, Jesus had the power to change Herod's entire life.
What if we put just as much effort into finding Jesus? Obviously, not for the same reasons as King Herod, but with the same desperation nevertheless. Herod wanted to find Jesus in order to remove Him from his life. We however, should be motivated to find Jesus in order to allow Him to transform our lives. It has always been said that the best things are worth searching for. I can assure you, my friends, that if anything could be considered a "best thing," it would be Jesus Christ.
Secondly, I was amazed at the incredible power that Jesus possessed, even as an infant. The gospel says that when the Magi saw Him, they immediately "prostrated themselves and did him homage." Again, picture this. Three grown men, who are all incredibly educated and widely recognized fall to their knees at the sight of a baby. Woah, that's pretty incredible.
Fr. Ron Rolheiser actually wrote a piece entitled "The Power of Powerlessness" which examines this phenomenon. He shares some terrific insight on the characteristics that a baby possesses which makes him ultimately more powerful than any other human being. One of the most beautiful lines in his article states, "Its innocent, wordless presence, without physical strength, can transform a room and a heart in a way that guns, muscle, and charisma cannot." Fr. Rolheiser reminds us that when the gospels speak of Jesus' power, they describe it as "exousia." Exousia could best be translated into vulnerability in our present day speech. That's right, vulnerability.
Nowadays we are used to thinking of vulnerability as a bad thing, a way in which we lose the power we work so hard for. However, if Jesus Christ, who I believe to be the most powerful human being to ever walk the earth possessed exousia, shouldn't I be striving for that type of power as well? It's definitely not easy. Exousia is a "quiet, moral power that demands infinite patience and a long-term perspective." Be that as it may, if it is good enough for Jesus Christ, it's definitely good enough for me.
My goal is to become more familiar in practicing this type of power... the power of silence, quiet, vulnerability, exousia. The power of powerlessness.
The Jews expected the Messiah to be a military or political leader. Much like that of of an Old Testament judge or king. To be as wise as King Solomon or as strong as King David, so to see a vulnerable child born to a poor family was not at all what the Jews had expected. I think the Epiphany of our Lord is a good preamble to the Passion narratives. Biblical scholars often refer to the Gospels as Passion narratives with long introductions, and I think that can, as well, be seen here. This story is a precursor to the Passion of Christ because the Jews would never have imagined being the ones who handed their own Messiah over to be killed, just as its ironic that a Jew, Herod, to be the one trying to kill the Christ.
ReplyDelete-Joseph Quinn
I think that's a great point, I had never thought of it that way! Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts!
Delete- Ivonne
Keep posting and I'll keep commenting!
ReplyDelete-Joseph Quinn