My dear
Thanks for new year wishes from some of you.
Feast of the Epiphany on Sunday… the three kings follow a star and come to visit Jesus.
This looks like a funny cartoon picture of the event. It isn’t!
There is another story about what happened at the manger that wonderful day…
The second king, Gaspar, seems to have misunderstood and makes a present of Frankenstein to Jesus.
Melchior (who brings the gold) and Balthazar (who brings myrrh) are shocked.
Mary and Joseph are puzzled. The ass and the sheep are nervously scared.
And the little chicken flees for her life.
Look closely at the faces of Gaspar and Jesus.
Gaspar is smiling happily because he is sure he has done the right thing.
Little Jesus sees the goodness in Gaspar’s simple but beautiful heart, and he chuckles delightedly too.
Frankenstein is smiling happily as well but you cannot see his face.
The world does not like to look at ugly faces even if they have a smile on them.
It is Gaspar’s love and concern for Frankenstein that prompts him to brings him to Jesus.
Jesus sees this in Gaspar’s heart.
Frankenstein is not the monster the world makes him out to be.
Things went wrong for him and this is the way he turned out.
He seems ugly on the outside but there is beautiful inside of him.
Gaspar sees this. Jesus also sees this.
Jesus is happy with Gaspar’s gift because he sees in Frankenstein the many people things have gone wrong for.
He sees everyone that the world rejects and considers ugly.
He has come for these people too…especially for these people –
the poor, the downtrodden and the trampled upon, the discarded, the despised and the ugly.
He will help them see themselves as beautiful. He will help others see them as beautiful as well.
Because of Jesus’ example and teaching, many will reach out in caring and love to the Frankensteins of this world.
We can join Jesus in doing this.
And Jesus will smile delightedly at us too, because we will be continuing and multiplying
the goodness/Godness he brought into the world.
And the angels in heaven will sing out even more joyfully:
Glory to God in the highest
And peace on earth to people of good will…!
“People of good will…” hey, you can be one of these too!
Reach-out joy and peace blessings to all of you for all of 2016 and beyond.
Love, Terry