Happy Epiphany!! Merry Little Christmas!!
“Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star and have come to do him homage” Matthew 2:2The magi who were seeking the newborn probably didn’t realize until it was too late that by letting Herod know that the babe had been born they were putting all the male babies in peril. (see Mt. 2:16) It makes me wonder why God didn’t intervene here as he does to keep the magi safe by sending an angel in the dream. As he did when telling Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. This is part of the story I find troubling. But I am sure there is something in there that is just beyond my understanding. In the meantime, the wise men or astrologers have shown us that in their wisdom, they knew that there was someone extraordinary born. That the star that they followed that night was the star that could lead us all to a Prince of Peace. Ironic that we should consider that name in light of the violence that was taking place because of his coming. And yet, I feel deeply that the babes went right back to God, that the suffering of their families was ultimately healed by their loving father. This is the world we still live in. A world that is full of shadows and light. A world that is full of extraordinary goodness and true evil. These are the streets we walk everyday, we simply have to decide on which side to walk. Though the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on Sunday and is the true end of the Christmas season in the Catholic church, I am ending my journey of Advent now. I am too easily confused to understand how Jesus aged 30 years in 3 weeks so I will end here, with the magi. With the gifts. As they wander away after seeing the greatest gift ever witnessed, I will wander and seek the gift wherever I may find him. I am grateful for Jesus, who saves me daily. The next time you visit (and I hope you do) we will have a new design and talk about new topics. I am eager to discuss some people who are wise like the magi, to speak of the gifts that ordinary people share everyday…so stop back….we are only beginning our journey!!
A Holiday Thought…
Aren’t humans amazing? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and then call for Peace on Earth.
~Revised Preface to Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates~
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Anyone can break this cycle of violence! Everyone has the power to choose compassion! Please visit these websites to align your core values with life affirming choices: http://veganvideo.org & http://tryveg.com