A ʻike aku lākou i ua hōkū lā, hauʻoli nui loa aʻela lākou. Komo lākou i loko o ka hale, a ʻike akula i ua keiki lā a me kona makuwahine ʻo Maria, a moe ihola lākou, hoʻomaikaʻi akula iā ia; a wehe aʻela lākou i ko lākou waihona waiwai, hāʻawi akula lākou nāna i ke gula, a me ka libano, a me ka mura. – Mataio 2:10-11
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. – Matthew 2:10-11
Ka Manaʻo o ke Poʻo Kula
Scott Parker, KS Maui
Before they could worship the child in Bethlehem, the Magi had to undertake a lengthy journey. In life, journeys always involve transformation – often we are not the same person from when we began. We arrive at our destination having learned a new lesson, encountered new people and places, or even found the inner strength we did not know we had by facing hardship or risk along the way. In the words of Pope Francis, “no one worships the Lord without first experiencing the interior growth that comes from embarking on a journey.”
The spiritual fruit of any journey is usually the joy we find at its conclusion – but getting there is never easy. Imagine the Magi, navigating by way of the star. Their travel of great distance was surely treacherous, and it even included confrontation with King Herod. It culminated in an experience of newfound joy at the sight of the baby Jesus. It is impossible that they were the same people from when they started off on their journey – they had experienced first-hand the Word made flesh, after all.
When we put our trust in the Lord – as they did – and we take each step with humility, persevering through the strife of our individual journeys, we are bound to arrive at our destination with a renewed sense of hope and joy.
May the Lord continue to fill our hearts with joy and always make us capable of showing his love to others no matter our journey.
Ka Manaʻo o ka Haumāna
Keiki Kahu Jaqui Brandon, KS Maui
I sense the joy the wise men experienced as they looked up and realized what they had been waiting for was upon them. The wise men humbled themselves before Jesus by bowing down and worshipping him. They bestowed gifts on him that represented the roles he would play during his life. Gold, a gift fit for a king; frankincense, a gift fit for a priest, and myrrh to represent death. They knew the importance of this event and treated baby Jesus with the utmost reverence. They not only came to honor and worship him with joyful hearts, but to recognize the great work he was here to accomplish as our Savior.
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