Offering our presence to others each day honors our King
by Sister Elise Cholewinski
One of the highlights of the Christmas season was upon us, the feast of Epiphany. As I contemplated the beauty of my Nativity scene, with the colorful lights surrounding it, the phone rang.
A woman from a former parish in which I had served called to see how I was adjusting to my new place of residence at our convent. It soon became obvious to me that she really needed to talk about her own situation. She had grown up in a highly dysfunctional family, had been in a painful marriage, was recovering from two recent surgeries, and just wanted someone to listen and help her to understand how she could cope. Our conversation lasted almost two hours.
“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you”, we repeat as the responsorial psalm is sung at the Epiphany Mass. We picture the magi, dressed in their regal clothing, offering their treasures to the Christ Child. We can imagine the Church, the New Jerusalem, attracting people from all parts of the globe with the riches of its Scriptures and its sacraments, its spiritualities and its saints. And in its midst are the poor and the lonely, the forsaken and depressed. They are seeking compassion and understanding, hope and a place to call home. They are the “sons and daughters” that “come from afar”. (Isaiah 60:4)
Each year as this great feast approaches, I ask myself what gift I can lay before the Lord, a gift that would be rich and meaningful. This year I didn’t have to reach for the gold; I just had to pick up the phone.