Always toward Bethlehem

This past Sunday was the celebration of Epiphany. While I’m a supporter of Epiphany being an immovable feast on Jan. 6, the priest’s homily for Epiphany was very good, so I’m glad I got to reflect on it again.

The priest himself is a missionary from Poland. He has traveled all over the world to serve Christ in different cultures. And travel is a pretty prominent theme in the Epiphany story. He made me reflect on the importance of movement.

The magi were from a culture separate from Judaism. We don’t know if they were Zoroastrian priests or Persian kings or Babylonian scholars or a troupe of various backgrounds. But they were foreign. And they were on a journey in search of something. They had seen a sign that an important child had been born—so important that they traveled a long way just to see the child and pay him homage.

Their particular beliefs or what they were expecting to see isn’t as relevant as their action. They were faithful and sincere, willing to journey a long way and suffer hardship for just one moment with something divine. They were willing to leave their homelands and cultural comforts and offer up expensive items. They were willing to ask questions and keep seeking until they found him.

It's five and a half miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Jerusalem, the heart of Judaism, was only a couple hours’ walk away from the Infant Jesus. But the people who were supposedly eagerly awaiting the Messiah didn’t go (a few shepherds excluded, of course). The people of the culture Jesus was born into didn’t see him as anything special. But the magi did. And they travelled possibly over a thousand miles to be there.

Now, for most of us, the physical distance isn’t that difficult. Christ is no longer a baby in Judea; he is present in the Church all over the world. But still, we must seek him out and travel to him. For some, he is closer to find. They live in a Christian community, with a church right down the road. Christianity is the only culture they’ve ever known. Others face harsh challenges: remote areas with no churches, a culture that doesn’t recognize Christ, family or friends who oppose conversion. Frankly, it’s not fair. Yet some squander their proximity, taking it for granted, while others demonstrate such courage and persistence for just a taste.

The priest on Sunday mentioned how when he came here, it was the first time he had been in a culture that was Christian but not predominately Catholic (Catholics make up about 3% of the population). It was his first time meeting people joining the Church coming from other denominations, and they asked questions that he, who had grown up in a very Catholic environment and become a priest, had never considered.

Outsiders see things differently. They ask new questions. They don’t know all the ins and outs, but they want to join. They are seekers, willing to leave what they know and journey a long way, willing to suffer hardship and sacrifice, willing to ask questions and keep seeking until they are satisfied.

But we should all be seekers. Whether we are coming from Jerusalem or Baghdad, we should be journeying to Bethlehem. We should never take for granted when we are blessed with ease of access to the Church or the sacraments, and we should never get lazy with our faith. The journey does not end in this life; we should always be seeking, drawing closer to Christ. We are called be poor, wayfaring strangers, following the signs, seeking the divine, and not resting until we rest in him.