In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus surprises His audience in the Synagogue by reminding them that all people are children of God and that God works through everyone.  The insular nature of society in Jesus’ day would have taken great offense to Jesus’ remarks in this Gospel.  These references are the first, but not the last from His public ministry that all people are called to build the “Kingdom of God” on earth.
 
Later on, there would be stories concerning the Roman Centurion, the Samaritan Woman (as well as people who were judged unclean as a result of their diseases) and, of course, let us not forget tax collectors and sinners.  These circumstances clearly remind us that tolerance, understanding and openness to those who are different than ourselves are still life lessons for us all.  Our world is now more diverse within the nations on earth and more instantaneously connected than ever before.  Issues such as the status of immigrants and refugees in many nations, both legal and illegal, confront us every day.  The complexities of our foreign policy are overwhelming and are continuously challenging, sometimes in life and death struggles in so many nations.  As we have seen, solutions and answers do not come easily.
 
Jesus would have His work cut out for Him were He alive today, but in reality we are His servants who must engage the world concerning all these issues and hopefully we will be mindful of the wisdom that He places before us.

OUR OWN 3 KINGS BRINGING GIFTS TO BABY JESUS

Today is the Epiphany of the Lord- the day we remember when the 3 Wise Men followed the star to honor the Christ Child by “opening their treasures” and their hearts to the new born King.  They came to worship, to show adoration, to pay homage and to bring gifts fit for a King.
 
What treasures or gifts do we hold inside us to share with Christ?  We all have many gifts to share with one another to show Jesus how much we respect, honor and love Him.
 
Two weeks ago, many gifts were bought, wrapped, sent, given and opened. A lot of time goes into the perfect gift.
 
I recently read an article entitled, “What would you give Jesus for Christmas”. After all, … it is His birthday!  The article mentioned 3 things … love, obedience & service.  If we stop and think about it, these are not that hard to do. I know the Christmas holiday is over, but the new year has just begun. What better way to start a new beginning than with giving the gift of love … being kind to one another, the gift of obedience … following the right path and the gift of service … helping those less fortunate in words and deed. When we share these gifts with others, we are ultimately sharing them with Christ. And there is no better way to say Happy Birthday! 
 

 Peace and happiness in the New Year.