December 17, 2020 , ” On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother; they knelt down and paid him homage. Then opening their treasure chests they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ” Matthew 2:11 Melchior: ” Who is going in first ? “ Gaspar : ” You are the leader of this group, and you are the oldest.’ Balthazar : ” I agree with Gas, but what are you going to say to the mother and father ?” Gaspar : ” Will you tell them that we are not Jewish ? Do you think that they will accept our gifts ? Melchior : ” I will tell them that we have come far, and followed the Star. We know he is born a King, but I will not tell them about Herod. Gaspar : ” I just hope this is the right place. It seems a little small for a King and his parents. Balthazar : ” He is the King, we hope, but what will happen to him as he grows up ? Melchior : ” Well, it is time to go in. May God be with these young parents, and us as the gift givers. May God protect us all. The passage from Matthew gives us little about what happened in that house. What does it mean to give homage ? Did they chant a song ? Did they prostrate themselves on the floor of the house ? And what language did they speak to Mary and Joseph ? They might have known only Persian, and so maybe they did the worshipping of the King by sign language ? And how long did they stay ? I would like to think that they had a meal together with everyone around there. A little hummus, with some olives, and maybe a small glass of wine and some bread. As we move through the Fourth Advent Sunday to Christmas, imagine that visit by the Magi. There are millions of paintings of these holy events. Let your thoughts, reflections and prayers flow to God, and be thankful for the Three Wise Men, who were there for only a short time, and then they were gone , not to be heard from again. We are the Road to Life and Faith. May the Lord be with us as we journey to Bethlehem once again. ![]() Fred Tread on bold new paths! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal ! Monika Pieper Landoni 2020 ![]() ![]() |