The story of the visit of the three wise men that travelled from the Far East to Bethlehem to see the Child Jesus is very reveling and uncovers power strategies that can combine to bring about success in different areas of our lives.
From the story, we can discern that the Magi had an expectation, something they were looking forward to—to visit the Child Jesus when He is born. Life goals, generally, begin with an Expectation. Without expectations, our life could easily become a revolving door. We need to make life happen for us and that begins with having some expectations, goals, and aspiration we can direct our energy toward.
But to be able to work effectively toward our expectations, we need to have the ability to notice things that matter with respect to our goals. It is notable that while everyone else saws stars in the heavens, the Magi saw, in the midst of a gazillion stars, the Star of David. Many a time opportunities abound around us but our inability to notice them can impair our dreams and goals. Two people can easily come upon a heap of scrapped iron; one sees a heap of garbage while the other sees materials for spare parts. Our ability to keep our eyes and ears open is a key ingredient to success.
Notice that when the Magi saw the Star of David, they immediately swung into action; they headed out to Bethlehem. You see, no matter what ideas, goals and dreams we have in life; no matter how many opportunities we encounter, without swinging into action, those ideas, will never grow bigger than the brain cells they occupy in our minds.
It is interesting that when the Magi lost sight of the Star, while mourning to Bethlehem, they did not give up their quest. Rather, they took a detoured to the king’s palace and inquired about their way forward. My friends, the ability to adapt, to be flexible, to be open-minded, and to seek alternative is the key to getting through the maze of life’s unpredictability. While we must stay committed to our goals, we must always be flexible in our approach.
Scripture says, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6). The sole reason why the Magi travelled such a long distance to Bethlehem was to behold the Child Jesus, face to face, and adore Him in worship. This was the first thing they did as they entered that hut, full of animals. How lucky we are that we don’t have to travel days and weeks to behold Jesus face to face. Christ has made it easy for us to behold Him face to face in the gift of the Holy Eucharist. He is 100% real in the Eucharist as He was real when the Magi visited Him. We can visit and worship Him in Eucharistic Adoration, either in community or privately.
The Magi taught us a very important lesson—that adoration and gratitude go together. They gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh, inviting us to do the same in our times of worship and adoration.
Although God is all-powerful, He refuses to coerce but always summons us to cooperation. An Angel informed the Magi to go home through a different road. They obeyed. How about us? As we enter this New Year, could we let it be God’s business to lead, to command, to impel, to send, and to determine how we live and make it our business to follow, to obey, to agree, to move, to respond, and to do as commanded. Obedience, as they say, is better than sacrifice. No amount of prayer or names we can call God can take the place of simply doing His will. If God does not reign over simple things in our lives, He does not reign at all. The cost of following the gospel is the death of our will. May the good Lord give us hearts that yearn for His will, minds that are clear about His commands, wills that are obedient to His word, and souls that are determined to do His bidding!
