Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

The Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, 2001)

Suggested Emphasis from the Gospel of Matthew
They did him homage.

Salesian Perspective
They set out. The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house, found the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. They opened their coffers and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Not just today, but every day every hour, every moment we are called to follow the star who is our Lord, our Redeemer and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Each day, we are called to set out onto the road of life, following the signs of God’s love, justice, reconciliation and peace wherever we experience them. And like the astrologers in today’s Gospel, we, too, are called to do him homage.

Homage: an old-fashioned, quaint-sounding term. Defined in the dictionary as special honor or respect shown publicly. Hmmm, perhaps not so quaint or out-of-date a notion after all!

How can we do Jesus homage? How can we publicly give him special honor and respect? What kind of gifts can we give to Christ and by extension, to one another day in and day out? Are such displays of respect limited to cross-continental treks or exotic, once-in-a-lifetime treasures?

Francis de Sales offers this advice. Let us not be at all eager in our work, for, in order to do it well, we must apply ourselves to it carefully indeed, but calmly and peacefully, without trusting in our labor, but rather, relying on God and God’s grace. Anxious searchings of the heart about advancing in perfection, and those endeavors to see if we are advancing, are not at all pleasing to God, and only serve to satisfy our own self-love, that subtle tormentor which grasps at so much but accomplishes so very little. One single good work, done with tranquil spirit, is worth far more than many done with anxious eagerness.

Paying homage to Jesus showing special respect and honor in public is measured less by grandiose feats and more by simple, ordinary actions performed with great attention and intention. Paying homage to Jesus is less about a multiplicity of good deeds and more about fully immersing ourselves in each moment of each day as it comes. Paying homage to Jesus is less about trying to prove to Jesus how worthy we are and more about accepting our need for God and the actions of God’s grace in our lives. Paying homage to Jesus is less about prostrating ourselves before him and more about standing up for all that is righteous, peaceful, liberating and just.

How might our experiences this day and especially, the people whom we encounter in those experiences be inviting us to pay homage to Christ? By paying special honor and respect to one another: one, single good work at a time.

Sr. Jacqueline Burke, VHM, is a member of the Georgetown Visitation community in
Washington, DC. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the De Sales Spirituality Center.