Reflection for January 4
In our house, if you ask, “Where is the saltshaker?” and it is right in front of you, someone will say, with a slightly sarcastic voice, “It is right in front of you, Old Eagle Eye!” And that is what I would call Herod in the gospel story today: Old Eagle Eye.
The Magi from the East see the star and want to pay homage; they are actively seeking God. They tell Herod they have followed the star, and Old Eagle Eye has no clue what they are talking about; he has not seen, he cannot see the star. The Magi continue to follow the star all the way to Bethlehem; Herod stays home.
For me, I pray to be like the Magi, not Herod. I hope I am following the light, that I am being led to where Christ is calling me.
Here is one example of where God’s light has taken me. For several years now, I have been one of the co-leaders of the Friends and Family LGBTQ+ Support Group at St. Patrick-St. Anthony in Hartford. My wife Catherine and I came to the group because both of our children are LGBTQ+. It was God’s light that brought us to Friends and Family (and Sister Ginny Sheehan) for support, and now we also try to give support back. Being part of this group has been a special blessing: I have had the opportunity to get to know so many LGBTQ+ believers. Their faith has strengthened my own faith; what a great gift.
But in the wider world, I have also met other people, folks who fail to see the faith and the gifts offered by our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. In fact, some of them wish to shut out our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, just as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were denied a safe place in Bethlehem. Their blindness reminds me of Herod in today’s gospel: a missed opportunity to see God in all things. You might also call them Old Eagle Eye.
Like the Magi, God’s light can bring you to a stable in Bethlehem — an unexpected place where you did not anticipate finding God. But you must have your spiritual eyes open, or like Herod, you will miss that encounter with God.
On this Feast of the Epiphany, I hope that God never has to call you or me Old Eagle Eye. Let us pray that we can discern the light that God puts in front of us, and that by following that light, our faith is deepened.
Timothy Curran