STEADFAST SEEKERS
Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
On 04 July 1952, Florence Chadwick attempted to become the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. The water was numbing cold; there were sharks in the vicinity; the fog was so thick she couldn’t see the boats in her party. After 15 hours in the water, Chadwick asked to be taken out. Her trainer encouraged her to swim on; Chadwick managed another hour and then quit… just a mile from the shore.
Two months later Chadwick re-attempted the swim. A similar thick fog obscured the coastline. She steadfastly sought her goal and succeeded. Later she said she kept a mental image of the shoreline while she swam; she kept reminding herself that land was there.
The Magi, who journeyed from “the east” to Jerusalem to pay homage to the new-born king of the Jews, did something similar: they steadfastly sought their goal.
They faced tremendous odds: a long and arduous journey, cold weather, and lack of shelter; they lost sight of their guiding star, and had to seek directions from a sinister Herod.
They kept reminding themselves that the new-born king was somewhere ahead; allowed themselves to be guided by the star; were humble enough to seek direction and help; had faith to recognize the king “when they saw the child with Mary his mother.”
Then they “were overwhelmed with joy”. After their encounter with the new-born king, they were transformed: they “departed for their country by another way”.
Our life’s journey, too, is arduous. We face fearsome challenges and difficulties. We need to imitate the Magi in steadfastly seeking our goal: God! We need to keep a mental image of the times God has been with us and remind ourselves that he is with us. We need to allow ourselves to be guided by Christ’s light and seek direction from others. We need to have faith to recognize our king in the mundane and the ordinary; all too often we want to see him in the spectacular and the extraordinary. Our encounters with him ought to transform us and make us courageous to resist the “herods” of today.
Will I steadfastly seek the Lord despite the challenges I face? Will I allow myself to be transformed after my encounters with him?
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