Back to Exponent Menu Printer Friendly Page   THE WORD Friday, December 31, 2004 Get ‘eyeball to eyeball’ with those who struggle, fill a need By Father James P. Walker The Epiphany of the Lord January 2, 2005 Isaiah 60: 1-6 Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6 Gospel of Matthew 2: 1-12 “It is better to live one Bible verse than to quote an entire chapter” – that’s good advice. But how can you live it if you don’t know what it means? Take, for instance, the word “magoi.” That’s Matthew’s original word for “magi.” It doesn’t mean “kings,” and it doesn’t mean “astrologers,” either, at least not as we use it today. It does mean “visitors,” as in, honorable and open to wisdom. No names, no number, and no mention of their profession or role in society are mentioned in the Gospel. Thank you, Matthew! You’ve done us all a wonderful favor by choosing to make their identity somewhat vague. Nearly everything we know about the “three wise men” has been added during the centuries that followed. We love detail and precision. “Be specific,” we demand. In this respect Matthew’s failure is also his success. We can identify with them and experience our own epiphany. Joan Elliott is wife, mother, high school biology teacher, student of mortuary science, and concessionaire at Browns’ games. One night before Christmas she and her husband got help from friend Dori McCloud and filled a blue van with gift-wrapped boxes of donated food from our parishioners. They piled their two small children into a red Volkswagen bug, and went off for deliveries. Their first stop: a home, dimly lit, with a small, sagging porch. It looked like it had been painted on the installment plan. When the door opened, four barely-clad children appeared. They were shabby and undernourished. A woman who was obviously their grandma came up behind them. They called her “Mama.” There was no star that night, only a single light bulb hanging precariously from the living room ceiling. When they laid the box down and told the lady what it was, the children immediately tore away the wrapping. They danced, jumped up and down, and yelled, “Look, Mama, we have food.” A sudden rush of tears welled up in Joan’s eyes. In fact, they were all overwhelmed at the sight of children squealing with joy over a box of food. Her anonymous visitors and their generosity also touched the woman, who was both embarrassed and grateful. While not gold, frankincense, or myrrh, the food was “treasure” of a different kind. Moments later Joan and company were back in the VW bug. She was crying uncontrollably. Her tears were contagious. They all needed to talk. Even their young sons, Max and Samuel, were unusually quiet and reflective. They could see through the front window the faint images of children holding up each food item as if it were a Super Bowl trophy. The experience was life-changing. These modern day “magi” had left their “treasure” and received one, all at the same time. Helping the poor should be a way of life, not something we dabble in as an occasional splurge of good will. Write those checks; support those agencies! That’s fine! Don’t stop! But personal sacrifice is the Gospel mandate. That’s what Jesus requires of His disciples. Sadly, many are dabblers, myself included. I’m not proud to make that admission, but I’m making some changes, too. After all, how many pairs of shoes do you need? Some people buy them as if they came from a family of centipedes. Sweaters? Some of us have so many we can stack them to the ceiling. Go through your kitchen, bathroom, walk-in clothes closet, garage, and, of course, your attic, for starters. If you don’t absolutely need it, give it to someone who does. As they say, don’t give until it hurts. Give until it feels good. No analyzing, no judging allowed. Find a need and fill it! The more “eyeball to eyeball” you get with people who have less than you, the more peace you will know, the more you will see your own blessings and cope with your own struggles. It’s Christ’s non-pharmaceutical tranquilizer that anyone can afford.   Back to Exponent Menu Printer Friendly Page   Other Articles of 2004   Get ‘eyeball to eyeball’ with those who struggle, fill a need   Because of our baptism, we are Christ’s sacrament – believe it!   ‘Homesick God’ is coming home to our hearts at Christmas   Families confronted by often indifferent, at times outright hostile world   Begin with yourself, then share the simplest of gifts   Church must always ‘walk and chew gum at the same time’   Reach beyond your world, don’t live in a bubble   Life is a package, with both pain and promise fulfilled   The Lord has created us for beyond the ages   Let go of passing dreams, choose the only worthwhile dream   The Lord has created us for beyond the ages   Jesus gave us a repentant cheat as a model for holiness   Easy to lose mission of Jesus amid modern distractions   People who won’t ‘get with the program’ can be a nuisance   Do what you can each day and ignore the ‘gobbledygook’   Give away what you have and others need, and you will have life   We need a faith that will replace rampant fear and hopelessness   If Jesus came to America today, what would happen?   Make time for quiet chats with the Lord; don’t forget to listen   Compassion for, living in world of poor quite different   For the Christian, possessions pose both opportunity and risk   Our love for the suffering is true test of our salvation   Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ was totally positive, completely selfless view   Life is for living, not wasting precious time on bitterness   For persons of faith, complacency is an occupational hazard   Summer’s busier schedules can put us in a squeeze   The Lord gives us people whose lives reflect the Kingdom   ‘Whatever it takes’ can be good, can have horrific consequences   Ministry is about living out truth, not winners and losers   Denying oneself is the key to becoming a committed Christian   Reputation important, but legacy is what’s enshrined in memory   Jesus’ leadership style would be suspect in today’s society   ‘5 tasks’ can help us live life to the fullest, as God intended   In God’s world, everyone is special and unique…we’re all gifted   Our willingness to speak up for what is just is urgently needed   We don’t need to ‘understand’ someone’s pain to be a comforter   Bring power of imagination to Mass for Revelation reading   Keep your focus on Christ, not on the world or yourself   Loving a God who loves us and never walks away   Work with others to show the world the glorified Christ   Charities’ First Step Motivation for apostles’ deeds was love for the Master   Wounded world refuses to join Christ and his victory over sin   God weeps with love for us, yet stalls when we need attention   Jesus closes the gap between who we seem and who we are   The presence of Jesus penetrated the hearts of the people   Lent is a time to get back to the reality of Christ’s plan for us   God’s absolute commitment to his people surfaces again   Faith brings greater joy than frills, perks of this world   Loving one’s enemies is neither suggestion nor guideline   Saints wrestled with demons, became guiding lights to the Kingdom   Commitment to Jesus easily forfeited in quest for convenience   We need to belong somewhere for our faith to grow and thrive   Does your ‘assignment’ in life come from God or someone else?   We need to ask ourselves, ‘What on earth am I here for?’   When life stills the song Christ has put in our hearts   Past Articles From 2003