This Advent and Christmas season we have been on a journey of faith, each of us has been called to accept gifts from God and to use them for the purpose He intends. And like the Magi, we come here looking for the promised One who would change our lives and the times in which we live.

“The Magi entered the house over which the star had halted. They saw the Child and fell down in worship” (Mt 2: 11). Outwardly, their journey seemed over. They had reached their goal without really leaving their comfort zone.

However, it was on their knees, through their worship of God, that the real journey was beginning, an inner pilgrimage that changed their lives and the life of the world.

You see, these three men were not expecting to see a child. They were, I am sure, expecting to see a King! These men were coming from a cold and heartless world looking for mercy! They looked for signs that would remain in the sky and not effect them personally.  What they found was a vulnerable Child lying in a manger!

They became deeply troubled because they were now in it too deep. They had opened their coffers but not their hearts. In worship you must do both simultaneously. The wise men were being challenged as they worshiped the ‘God made Man’ they had suddenly discovered.

What they misunderstood was that the true mystery of God could only be found on their knees in worship; that once they rolled aside the stones of pride and the chains of sin, they could place the Child in their hearts. The wise men came to understand they could make their worship mean something only if they entered it with humility and integrity.

They could not run away or ignore the manger. They could not direct the action of God, making Him do what they wanted. Mercy comes from God alone, in His own time and in His own way. It is His gift to give and ours to accept.

If we want to serve this King, we need to fall at His feet and play our part in the renewal of the world. We need to become the ones “who hunger and thirst for justice” (Mt 5: 6), which is fueled only by our participation in the true worship of the God Who wants to give us gifts.

The People of God, of which you are a member, have been on a journey; each of us has been called to accept gifts from God for God. And now, like the Magi, we come here on our knees, to see the mystery that will change our lives. “You shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow…proclaiming the praises of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:1-6).

What you might not realize is this, if you accept these gifts, you will have no choice but to share them with others: the ones you love and the ones you hate; the ones you remember and the ones you forget, the poor, the alienated and most especially those who are your enemies. That’s the way God wants it. It will always be out of your comfort zone. It is God’s Will not your own. But by it, you will discover true peace, integrity of worship and eternal joy.

Come, let us adore Him!