WEBVTT 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.420 Welcome to the Nonviolent Jesus Podcast. I'm 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:21.839 John, Father John Deere, and today as we celebrate 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:25.280 Christmas, I'd like to reflect with you on Matthew's 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:29.489 story of the epiphany. This is a project of BeatitudeCenter 00:00:29.489 --> 00:00:32.429 .org, where you can find many other podcasts 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:35.429 and Zoom programs on the nonviolence of Jesus 00:00:35.429 --> 00:00:38.130 and practicing nonviolence and working for a 00:00:38.130 --> 00:00:41.189 more just, more nonviolent world. So, dear friends, 00:00:41.270 --> 00:00:44.070 let's begin with a little prayer. I invite you 00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:46.429 to, wherever you are, just take a deep breath 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:51.429 and just to relax and recenter yourselves. And 00:00:51.429 --> 00:00:53.729 together, let's enter into the presence of the 00:00:53.729 --> 00:00:57.420 God of peace who loves you infinitely. personally 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:02.179 and everyone everywhere. And we welcome the risen 00:01:02.179 --> 00:01:06.120 nonviolent Jesus here with us and ask for whatever 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:09.579 Christmas graces we need to follow Jesus more 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:17.140 faithfully and do God's will. God of peace, thank 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:19.700 you for all the Christmas blessings of life, 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:22.879 love, and peace. that you give us as we celebrate 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.739 the birth and life of the nonviolent Jesus. Be 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:29.019 with us as we reflect on the story of the epiphany. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:32.140 Help us that we might recognize the presence 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:35.299 of the nonviolent Jesus in our midst. that we 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:37.760 too might renounce the culture of violence and 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:40.859 war and give our lives to him and to the coming 00:01:40.859 --> 00:01:43.859 of your reign of peace on earth. Bless us that 00:01:43.859 --> 00:01:46.260 we might deepen in peace, hope, nonviolence, 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:49.780 and discipleship, that we might be renewed and 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:52.760 strengthened to do your will, to seek your reign, 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:56.920 to do our part to help end hatred, racism, violence, 00:01:57.099 --> 00:02:00.379 poverty, fascism and war, nuclear weapons, and 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.510 environmental destruction. to welcome your Christmas 00:02:03.510 --> 00:02:08.150 gift of peace on earth. Amen. Well, Merry Christmas, 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:11.349 everyone. I thought that we might, as a way to 00:02:11.349 --> 00:02:14.069 celebrate Christmas, reflect together on Matthew's 00:02:14.069 --> 00:02:18.310 story of the Magi. So when we look at the whole 00:02:18.310 --> 00:02:21.189 world today, with all its violence and justice, 00:02:21.289 --> 00:02:25.870 war and empire, and ponder that the incarnation 00:02:25.870 --> 00:02:30.009 of the God of peace takes place in such a world, 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.580 And all this insane killing and violence and 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:38.500 poverty and nuclear weapons, environmental destruction. 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.159 I think we see not the coming of the God of peace, 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:48.020 but an anti -Advent, an anti -Christmas. The 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:51.400 coming of the anti -reign of violence and war. 00:02:52.030 --> 00:02:56.189 And it's into that world of total violence, this 00:02:56.189 --> 00:02:59.469 Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the greatest 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:03.530 person of nonviolence and peace in history. So 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:06.430 Christmas is a time to deepen our own commitment 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:10.789 to active, creative, loving nonviolence and renew 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:13.169 ourselves to be better peacemakers in the new 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:17.150 year. and more faithful disciples of the nonviolent 00:03:17.150 --> 00:03:21.090 Jesus. So 2 ,000 years ago, Joseph and Mary lived 00:03:21.090 --> 00:03:25.669 also in a horrific time during a brutal empire. 00:03:25.750 --> 00:03:29.189 They were totally poor, homeless refugees. Jesus 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:32.310 is born in extreme poverty. And then we get to 00:03:32.310 --> 00:03:35.349 Matthew's gospel, which begins with the genealogy 00:03:35.349 --> 00:03:38.409 of Jesus to tell us that, hey, here's the Messiah. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:41.419 He's a direct descendant of Abraham and David. 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:44.400 Then we get a brief account of his birth. And 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:49.560 then this single story of the Magi. Then just 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.300 a few chapters later, we've got Jesus as the 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.819 new lawgiver and the new Moses giving us the 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:56.780 Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the 00:03:56.780 --> 00:03:59.099 new commandments of nonviolence and universal 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:03.080 love. Now, what I'm going to pitch is that Matthew's 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.199 story of the epiphany in chapter 2 sums up the 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:09.770 entire gospel in a nutshell. So I want to break 00:04:09.770 --> 00:04:12.430 the story down into four parts, if you're still 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:15.810 with me. First, the journey to the nonviolent 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:20.589 Jesus. Second, the epiphany of meeting the nonviolent 00:04:20.589 --> 00:04:24.970 Jesus. Third, what do we do after we meet the 00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:29.110 nonviolent Jesus? And fourth, which is the epilogue. 00:04:29.829 --> 00:04:32.709 How the empire, the culture of violence and war, 00:04:32.870 --> 00:04:35.750 reacts to the coming of the nonviolent Jesus 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:39.430 and the threat of our active, daring nonviolence. 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:42.750 If you'd like to read what I'm sharing, you can 00:04:42.750 --> 00:04:44.970 find it all at the beginning of my recent book, 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:47.449 The Gospel of Peace, a commentary on Matthew, 00:04:47.529 --> 00:04:50.089 Mark, and Luke from the perspective of nonviolence. 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:53.769 I think this is an original take. It's a political 00:04:53.769 --> 00:04:57.040 reading. on the epiphany. And so what I'm suggesting 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.660 is that the story of the Magi, the epiphany, 00:05:00.699 --> 00:05:04.920 is our story. Like the three wisdom figures, 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.860 we too are on a spiritual journey, a holy pilgrimage, 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:10.540 one that lasts throughout our lives, and it's 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:13.120 a journey to the nonviolent Jesus, to the God 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:15.740 of peace. So I'm going to be asking a series 00:05:15.740 --> 00:05:19.139 of questions as I do this political reflection 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:23.220 on the Matthew text. And I'm hoping they'll make 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:25.500 this kind of a little Christmas retreat for you. 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.600 Where are you in the story? In these three movements. 00:05:30.139 --> 00:05:33.720 So we have the Magi, the three wise people, on 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:36.500 a pilgrimage in search of the God of peace, the 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:38.319 nonviolent Messiah. Then we have the second movement 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.040 meeting the nonviolent Jesus, having an epiphany 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:43.279 of the God of peace. The third movement, they 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:46.120 go forth now entirely focused on the God of peace 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.959 and God's reign of peace. not the culture of 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:52.040 war, violence, and empire, and its dominating, 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:56.319 militaristic, sociopathic, narcissistic ruler. 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:00.079 These three movements are followed by this epilogue. 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:02.699 So my questions are, where are you in these three 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:06.339 movements? Are you like the magi in holy pilgrimage 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.279 in search of the God of peace, the number one 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:12.250 Jesus? Are you encountering the God of peace 00:06:12.250 --> 00:06:14.389 and the nonviolent Jesus there on the margins, 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:17.930 among the poor, among the homeless, the immigrants, 00:06:18.189 --> 00:06:23.310 the refugees? Or are you having an epiphany of 00:06:23.310 --> 00:06:26.949 the God of peace in your life these days? Or 00:06:26.949 --> 00:06:29.930 are you like the Magi, after the epiphany encounter, 00:06:30.290 --> 00:06:33.389 committed to living forever in God's reign of 00:06:33.389 --> 00:06:36.990 universal love and peace, and therefore... turning 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:39.269 away from the culture of violence, war, and empire. 00:06:39.569 --> 00:06:42.170 So now I'm going to read the first part from 00:06:42.170 --> 00:06:47.170 Matthew chapter 2. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:51.189 of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, magi 00:06:51.189 --> 00:06:54.250 from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, where 00:06:54.250 --> 00:06:58.029 is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star 00:06:58.029 --> 00:07:01.290 at its rising and have come to do him homage. 00:07:02.089 --> 00:07:04.769 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, 00:07:04.889 --> 00:07:07.610 and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the 00:07:07.610 --> 00:07:09.889 chief priests and the scribes of the people, 00:07:09.970 --> 00:07:12.269 he inquired of them where the Messiah was to 00:07:12.269 --> 00:07:14.949 be born. And they said to him, In Bethlehem of 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:17.069 Judea, for thus it has been written through the 00:07:17.069 --> 00:07:20.670 prophet, And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are 00:07:20.670 --> 00:07:23.170 by no means least among the rulers of Judah, 00:07:23.290 --> 00:07:26.509 since from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd 00:07:26.509 --> 00:07:30.879 my people Israel. So then Herod called the Magi 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.180 secretly and ascertained from them the time of 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:36.220 the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:39.480 and said, Go and search diligently for the child, 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:42.319 and when you have found him, bring me words so 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:47.300 that I too may go and do him homage. After their 00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:50.420 audience with the king, they set out. And behold, 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:54.100 the star that they had seen in its rising preceded 00:07:54.100 --> 00:07:57.379 them until it came and stopped over the place 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:01.759 where the child was. So right from the get -go, 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:04.480 Matthew says, when the novel of Jesus is born, 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:07.839 the whole culture of violence and war reacts. 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:13.779 Everyone is affected. On the one hand, the empire 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:17.389 is already totally threatened. by the nonviolent 00:08:17.389 --> 00:08:21.269 Jesus. On the other hand, all of creation, the 00:08:21.269 --> 00:08:25.029 universe itself, symbolized in the star, points 00:08:25.029 --> 00:08:27.689 to the nonviolent Jesus and says, there's your 00:08:27.689 --> 00:08:31.569 hope. There's your peace. There's your way out. 00:08:32.809 --> 00:08:35.669 Three Magi wisdom figures set out to find the 00:08:35.669 --> 00:08:38.950 newborn king, and King Herod, the brutal tyrant 00:08:38.950 --> 00:08:42.590 and genocidal mass murderer who represents the 00:08:42.590 --> 00:08:45.929 Roman Empire, is greatly disturbed along with, 00:08:46.049 --> 00:08:49.669 quote, all of Jerusalem. That's very powerful. 00:08:49.990 --> 00:08:53.730 Think about it. This powerless child is already 00:08:53.730 --> 00:08:56.590 a threat to the most powerful war -making person 00:08:56.590 --> 00:09:00.230 in the region, in effect, the whole empire. So 00:09:00.230 --> 00:09:03.419 the tyrant... gathers the authorities, including 00:09:03.419 --> 00:09:05.659 the religious authorities, whom he keeps under 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:07.960 his control, and asks for the birthplace of the 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:10.480 Messiah, and they say Bethlehem, and he claims 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.720 he wants to do homage. But like all imperial 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:18.019 and government rulers, from then to today, he's 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:22.539 a total liar. He's a mass murderer, so he didn't 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:25.679 care about lying. His intention is to kill the 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.580 child, like all tyrants. He kills anyone who 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:33.019 threatens their power. And he easily, nonchalantly, 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:37.659 deliberately kills children, as all dictators 00:09:37.659 --> 00:09:41.580 and bullies and presidents do from then to today. 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:45.840 So the three wise men are from the Persian priestly 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:48.480 caste from the east, which is present -day Iraq 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:51.580 and Iran. They're seekers, wisdom figures, and 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:56.279 they're also, that means, Gentiles, non -Jews, 00:09:56.279 --> 00:10:01.059 put at the beginning of this gospel written for 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:04.639 Jews converting to Christianity. The gospel never 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:09.200 calls anybody wise. Never. So we conclude that 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.279 they are wise because why? They seek the non 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:14.080 -violent Jesus. And if we want to be wise, we 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.600 too have to seek the non -violent Jesus. So here 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:20.559 at the start of the story, This is so amazing 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:23.759 to me. We are learning from the get -go that 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.700 the journey to the God of peace and the nonviolent 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:31.100 Jesus has total political implications. Everyone 00:10:31.100 --> 00:10:33.259 everywhere is upset they are seeking this little 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:36.879 child who's the new nonviolent Messiah. The wise 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:40.039 men, therefore, in effect, if you look at it 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:43.559 this way, they're disturbers of the peace that 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:48.200 is the false peace of the Pax Romana. Pax Americana, 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:50.720 the culture of violence, empire, and war. They 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:55.039 meet the horrible King Herod, who's all pious 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:58.620 and spiritual and religious. And they're determined 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:01.019 to go ahead on their journey to find the God 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.460 of peace and see the star. So they follow the 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:07.639 star. And that's all we have to do, too. Like 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:11.019 the holy magi, we have to decide that no matter 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:14.100 what anyone says to us, no matter what the culture 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:16.649 says, no matter what the... No matter what the 00:11:16.649 --> 00:11:19.490 president or the media says, we're going to seek 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:23.549 the nonviolent Jesus, the God of peace, come 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:26.570 what may, and bet our lives on this nonviolent 00:11:26.570 --> 00:11:30.850 Messiah. Like the magi, we're going to let creation 00:11:30.850 --> 00:11:34.970 lead us. Isn't that lovely? We become contemplatives 00:11:34.970 --> 00:11:37.850 who pay attention to nature, to the sun, the 00:11:37.850 --> 00:11:40.409 moon, the stars, the mountains and sea and creatures, 00:11:40.470 --> 00:11:43.549 and let creation point us to the God of peace. 00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:47.629 It's that easy. If you look closely, creation 00:11:47.629 --> 00:11:51.210 is always leading us to the God of peace. This 00:11:51.210 --> 00:11:53.929 is the way the indigenous people by the millions 00:11:53.929 --> 00:11:56.909 have been living for thousands of years. They're 00:11:56.909 --> 00:12:00.570 much smarter and wiser than us. They are the 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:03.730 Magi of today, letting creation point them to 00:12:03.730 --> 00:12:07.779 God. We have to learn to be like them. But don't 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:10.899 be surprised if everyone gets upset at you if 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:13.299 you keep talking about you're seeking this God 00:12:13.299 --> 00:12:16.279 of peace and the nonviolent Jesus. And then don't 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:20.659 be surprised if creation leads you out of your 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:26.409 comfort zone to a place you didn't expect. Into 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:29.450 the margins, among the powerless, the poor, the 00:12:29.450 --> 00:12:31.929 vulnerable, the victims, the children, the enemy. 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:36.490 The epiphany story insists that God is not found 00:12:36.490 --> 00:12:39.649 in the center of power, then or today, but in 00:12:39.649 --> 00:12:42.429 the margins. Not among the rich and the powerful, 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:44.629 but among the poorest of the poor and the powerless. 00:12:45.190 --> 00:12:48.289 If we open ourselves to creation, we will be 00:12:48.289 --> 00:12:51.500 led beyond the empire. and the rich and powerful, 00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:54.940 out of our own littleness into a whole new world 00:12:54.940 --> 00:12:58.379 of hope and peace found on the margins where 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:01.240 we will experience the coming of the reign of 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:03.879 God, peace on earth. So my questions for you 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.340 are, how are you a wisdom figure on pilgrimage 00:13:07.340 --> 00:13:09.620 to the God of peace, to the nonviolent Jesus? 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:13.000 How are you seeking the nonviolent Jesus today? 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:16.720 How does nature point you to the God of peace? 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:20.399 How has your journey to the God of peace led 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.919 you into public contact with the ruling authorities 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.620 to confront the culture of violence and war? 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.019 How does your talk of peace and nonviolence and 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:32.419 the God of peace and the nonviolent Jesus disturb 00:13:32.419 --> 00:13:36.659 others? In fact, the entire culture. I'm just 00:13:36.659 --> 00:13:39.139 thinking if I had time, I'd share so many stories. 00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:41.960 I never thought in my life I'd be brought before 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:46.299 so many senators and congresspeople. presidents, 00:13:46.419 --> 00:13:50.720 a queen, popes, political leaders and presidents 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:56.200 all around the world. Part two, the second movement 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:59.240 of the story is short and sweet. So I quote, 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:02.740 they were overjoyed at seeing the star and on 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:05.460 entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:08.759 his mother, and they prostrated themselves and 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:12.559 did him homage. Then they opened their treasures 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:16.340 and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:19.460 and myrrh. It's beautiful. So we're told they 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:22.620 are overjoyed at seeing the star. Creation points 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:25.720 them to God, and that fills them with joy. There's 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:28.360 our path, dear friends. They follow the bright 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:31.240 star, and it leads them to our beloved Mary. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:34.539 and the beloved child, and this is their epiphany, 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:38.240 the great life -changing moment when they realize 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.240 they're in the presence of the God of peace. 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:44.620 So they fall down and do him homage and worship 00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:47.500 the God of peace. Now, I looked up the word epiphany 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:50.259 in the dictionary, and it's, you know, that sudden 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:54.100 realization, self -actualization, but for our 00:14:54.100 --> 00:14:57.500 purposes. I define it as the sudden realization 00:14:57.500 --> 00:14:59.840 that you are in the presence of the God of peace. 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:03.000 And that moment leads you to worship the God 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:06.059 of peace. All our defenses and selfishness and 00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:12.019 ego falls away. And we fall humbly in love with 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.379 this beautiful God. And it's so interesting. 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:18.840 We're told they brought three gifts. Gold, which 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.379 is what you give a king. Okay, I'm with you on 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:24.240 that. Frankincense. Would you want to give a 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.820 high priest? Okay. Beautiful. Traditional for 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:31.519 a Jewish king. And myrrh, which is what you use 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:37.220 to anoint a dead body. What? Well, imagine how 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:41.059 Mary feels about that. You know, and the baby 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:43.200 has been wrapped in swaddling clothes, which 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:46.580 is what you... They're so poor, the only cloth 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:49.580 they have is the material you use to wrap a dead 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:53.580 body in. That's Jesus coming into this world. 00:15:53.779 --> 00:15:56.460 So I presume that somewhere along the way on 00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:58.480 our spiritual journey to the nonviolent Jesus, 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:02.220 each one of us has had an epiphany moment when 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.360 we realized we were in the presence of the God 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.860 of peace, when nature points us to God, when 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:10.820 our hearts are filled with joy and we're consoled, 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.220 and when we worship God and presented our gifts. 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:17.159 But I'd invite us to see life itself as an ongoing... 00:16:17.690 --> 00:16:20.409 pilgrimage to the nonviolent Jesus, which is 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:24.389 filled with epiphany moments when we are in the 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:26.809 presence of the God of peace. This is what Merton 00:16:26.809 --> 00:16:29.789 taught. Sometimes I think if we open our hearts 00:16:29.789 --> 00:16:33.190 wide enough, we can have epiphany moments every 00:16:33.190 --> 00:16:37.159 single day. If we're really... single -heartedly 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:39.379 seeking to encounter the God of peace and meeting 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:42.000 the nonviolent Jesus and worshiping the God of 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.659 peace and adoring the God of peace and bringing 00:16:44.659 --> 00:16:48.179 all our finest gifts that would help and honor 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:52.200 and serve the nonviolent Jesus. Certainly we 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:54.580 can have epiphanies of the God of peace in our 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:58.919 prayer, when we receive communion at mass, when 00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:01.799 we serve Jesus in the poor and homeless, and 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:06.109 if we go deep into the sacramental work. for 00:17:06.109 --> 00:17:08.210 peace and justice and creation. So here are my 00:17:08.210 --> 00:17:10.930 questions for you. When did you have an epiphany 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:14.049 of the God of peace? When have you met the nonviolent 00:17:14.049 --> 00:17:17.390 Jesus among the poor, the homeless, the marginalized? 00:17:18.150 --> 00:17:21.910 How does nature continue to lead you to the God 00:17:21.910 --> 00:17:27.109 of peace? How does creation, the star, bring 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:30.369 you joy when you suddenly realize you're in the 00:17:30.369 --> 00:17:33.190 presence of the God of peace and fill you with 00:17:33.190 --> 00:17:36.779 consolation? And the old practice of St. Ignatius 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:39.779 of Loyola is you return to those great epiphanies 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:42.039 and moments of consolation for the rest of your 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.539 life. You can dip back into them at any moment. 00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:48.319 How are you worshiping the God of peace? And 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.180 maybe this is very helpful to ask. What gifts 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:55.140 do you bring the nonviolent Jesus? Isn't that 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.680 lovely? So, part three is just one sentence. 00:17:59.339 --> 00:18:05.950 Here we go. Having been warned in a dream, Not 00:18:05.950 --> 00:18:09.309 to return to Herod, they departed for their country 00:18:09.309 --> 00:18:16.869 by another way. The third movement of the Epiphany 00:18:16.869 --> 00:18:22.069 story is utterly shocking. This is the clincher, 00:18:22.190 --> 00:18:25.750 the surprise ending. Here's the teaching. Buckle 00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:27.789 your seatbelts. This is the whole point of what 00:18:27.789 --> 00:18:32.529 I wanted to share with you. Once you encounter 00:18:32.529 --> 00:18:36.089 the nonviolent Jesus, Once you have an epiphany 00:18:36.089 --> 00:18:38.789 of the God of peace among the poor, you change 00:18:38.789 --> 00:18:43.250 the direction of your life. Like the three magi, 00:18:43.250 --> 00:18:46.809 you go home a different way. Everything has changed, 00:18:46.970 --> 00:18:51.150 including your politics. We no longer do what 00:18:51.150 --> 00:18:53.130 the leaders of the culture of violence, empire, 00:18:53.210 --> 00:18:56.349 and war tell us. We have encountered the God 00:18:56.349 --> 00:19:00.240 of peace. So from now on, we no longer cooperate 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:04.059 with the culture of war and empire or its war 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:06.960 -making rulers who are always telling us what 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:10.660 to do. From King Herod and Pilate to the Roman 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:16.240 Emperor to what? Reagan, Bush, Obama, Trump. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:19.299 From now on, our allegiance is solely to the 00:19:19.299 --> 00:19:22.480 nonviolent Jesus and the God of peace and God's 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:26.420 reign. As people of wisdom. We are going to worship 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:30.599 the nonviolent Jesus and do what he says. I find 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:35.480 that very exciting and hopeful. So when the Magi 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:39.859 refused to go back to Herod and turned home on 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:43.579 a different route, think about it. They're committing 00:19:43.579 --> 00:19:47.250 nonviolent civil disobedience. They're disobeying 00:19:47.250 --> 00:19:49.829 the evil ruler. They could have been killed for 00:19:49.829 --> 00:19:53.089 this unlawful behavior. And their disobedience, 00:19:53.089 --> 00:19:54.990 we're told by Matthew, this is the beginning 00:19:54.990 --> 00:19:59.529 of the gospel, infuriates the evil King Herod 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:03.420 and all the rulers. who are always trying to 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:05.759 maintain their imperial power and control and 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:08.140 wage war and kill their rivals and snuff out 00:20:08.140 --> 00:20:10.500 every grassroots movement of justice, peace, 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:13.539 and nonviolence. The nonviolent Jesus and his 00:20:13.539 --> 00:20:15.539 way of nonviolence, we are learning right here 00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:17.940 at the start of Matthew, are a total threat to 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:20.500 the powers that be, to the empire, the culture 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:23.039 of violence and war, the rulers, the war makers, 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:25.339 the military, and the powerful religious leaders, 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:28.380 then and now, if you have eyes to see and if 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.599 you're reading the gospel correctly. So the principalities... 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:35.480 powers always trying to turn us away from God, 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:41.059 to lead us away from the God of peace and the 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:43.680 power of nonviolence, because they understand 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:47.059 nonviolence better than we do. Jesus says that 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:50.039 later. They know that organized grassroots bottom 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:52.940 -up people power movements of nonviolence are 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:56.480 more powerful than anything, including military 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.099 forces. all the weapons of the world and all 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:05.339 empires, that we have power, people power, when 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:10.319 we withdraw our consent from the rulers. So they 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.160 always lie and seek to kill nonviolent leaders 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:18.000 who emerge from the world of the poor, like Dr. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:21.240 King and the Kennedys and Romero and Gandhi, 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:24.160 to crush any grassroots bottom -up people power 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:27.819 movements of nonviolence. I think Matthew is 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:30.339 inviting us to seek the nonviolent Jesus on the 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:33.460 margins of the culture of violence, empire, and 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.160 war, and let our encounter with the nonviolent 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:39.400 Jesus Our experience with the nonviolent Jesus 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:42.220 and the God of peace lead us away from the corrupt 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.759 culture of violence and war to go in a different 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:47.519 direction than the culture, in our case, America, 00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:50.700 to turn away from money, consumerism, greed, 00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:54.619 racism, gun violence, executions, warfare, fascism, 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:57.319 nuclear weapons, environmental destruction, from 00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:01.000 now on to live as wisdom pilgrims of nonviolence 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:04.079 who obey Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which is 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:07.339 coming up shortly. So from now on, we're nonviolent 00:22:07.339 --> 00:22:10.920 resistors. Wow. That's what I get from the Epiphany 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:19.500 story. So some questions. How has your encounter 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:21.740 with a nonviolent Jesus, your encounter with 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:24.880 a God of peace, your experience... With gospel 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:27.440 nonviolence changed the direction of your life 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:29.920 and led you away from the culture of violence 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:33.299 and war, from America, in opposition to our ruling 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:36.400 authorities, Democrat and Republican, and the 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.880 whole empire, towards God's reign of universal 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:43.019 love, peace, and nonviolence. You know, for myself, 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:47.119 my epiphanies have led me to a lifetime of civil 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:50.519 disobedience and steadfast resistance. Eighty 00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:53.670 -five arrests. over 400 courtroom appearances. 00:22:54.190 --> 00:22:57.250 I'm very used to handcuffs and police cars and 00:22:57.250 --> 00:23:00.289 jails and holding cells all over the country 00:23:00.289 --> 00:23:03.430 and all the disruptions that have come with that. 00:23:03.549 --> 00:23:06.869 And I count it all a great blessing and a joy, 00:23:06.950 --> 00:23:11.390 and I highly recommend it. Finally, we get to 00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:14.250 the long part four, which I call the epilogue 00:23:14.250 --> 00:23:17.079 of the story. which is what happens after the 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:19.700 epiphany of the Magi and their nonviolent resistance 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:21.900 to Herod. So I'm going to read this. This is 00:23:21.900 --> 00:23:24.180 the end of the story from Matthew. So here we 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:28.619 go. When they departed, behold, the angel of 00:23:28.619 --> 00:23:31.059 the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:34.680 rise, take the child and his mother, flee to 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:38.220 Egypt and stay there until I tell you. Herod 00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:40.700 is going to search for the child to destroy him. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:45.309 Joseph rose. Note the resurrection language. 00:23:45.670 --> 00:23:48.410 And took the child and his mother by night and 00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:51.190 departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the 00:23:51.190 --> 00:23:54.089 death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through 00:23:54.089 --> 00:23:56.309 the prophet might be fulfilled. Out of Egypt 00:23:56.309 --> 00:24:00.099 I called my son. When Herod realized that he 00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:03.599 had been deceived by the Magi, he became furious, 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:06.519 and he ordered the massacre of all the boys in 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:09.220 Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:11.920 under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:16.000 from the Magi. Then was fulfilled what had been 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:19.259 said through Jeremiah the prophet. A voice was 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:23.740 heard in Rabbah, sobbing and loud lamentation, 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:28.380 Rachel weeping for her children. and she would 00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:32.920 not be consoled since they were no more. Later, 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.660 when Herod had died, behold, the angel of the 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:38.420 Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and 00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:42.180 said, Rise, take the child and his mother and 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:44.799 go to the land of Israel, for those who sought 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:48.619 the child's life are dead. And so he rose, took 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:50.680 the child and his mother, and went to the land 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:54.240 of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.480 now ruling over Judea in place of his father 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:59.740 Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:02.940 he'd been warned in a dream, he departed north 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:06.539 for the region of Galilee. And he went and dwelt 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:09.960 in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:11.839 spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled. 00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:17.440 He shall be called a Nazarene. So Matthew says 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:20.200 here right at the start, Herod is furious to 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:23.180 discover that the Magi deceived him. Now please 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:26.859 note this word deceived. Wait, aren't these holy 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:29.839 wisdom spiritual figures the greatest saints? 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:33.460 And they're deceiving the political leader who 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:38.289 has the power to kill them all? Again, the three 00:25:38.289 --> 00:25:41.369 wisdom figures disobeyed Herod and the empire. 00:25:41.589 --> 00:25:44.190 They refused to cooperate with him and they went 00:25:44.190 --> 00:25:47.710 home a different way. How dare they? Dear friends, 00:25:47.890 --> 00:25:52.490 that's the spiritual life in a nutshell. That's 00:25:52.490 --> 00:25:56.250 the height of spiritual wisdom. To disobey our 00:25:56.250 --> 00:25:59.450 corrupt, greedy, genocidal, war -making, nuclear 00:25:59.450 --> 00:26:01.849 weapons -threatening, environmentally -destroying, 00:26:01.930 --> 00:26:04.950 criminal, political leaders who are on the verge 00:26:04.950 --> 00:26:07.440 of destroying the whole planet. much less killing 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:10.279 the children of the world and the poor. It's 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:14.039 such an important lesson. Herod would have killed 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:17.559 Jesus and his parents and any witnesses right 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:20.960 there from the get -go. So he now issues an order 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:23.640 to kill every boy in Bethlehem and the surrounding 00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:27.660 area two years and under. This, dear friends, 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:31.839 is the Christmas story. Remember that Christmas 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:34.740 is directly connected. It's a straight arrow. 00:26:35.369 --> 00:26:39.390 to the cross. So here we see how empires and 00:26:39.390 --> 00:26:42.609 rulers use death as a social methodology, how 00:26:42.609 --> 00:26:45.150 they care nothing for human life, especially 00:26:45.150 --> 00:26:48.269 for children, and how they threaten humanity 00:26:48.269 --> 00:26:50.970 with death to maintain their control and power. 00:26:51.130 --> 00:26:53.509 And that means, oh, we got to kill the children. 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:56.170 This is what we see everywhere today. If you 00:26:56.170 --> 00:26:59.849 have eyes to see, don't be naive. These days, 00:26:59.869 --> 00:27:03.500 the nations are planning. total nuclear destruction, 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:06.480 and allowing catastrophic climate change to destroy 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:09.420 the planet and kill millions of holy innocents 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:13.339 in the future. Dare I say, as the scientists 00:27:13.339 --> 00:27:18.079 say, maybe billions of holy innocents. The nonviolent 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:21.940 Jesus has come to stop all this, and he's coming 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:26.359 to ask for our help. So just as the Magi disobey 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:29.799 the ruler of the culture of war in order to obey... 00:27:30.349 --> 00:27:34.190 the God of peace. So all of us who seek the God 00:27:34.190 --> 00:27:37.170 of peace from now on disobey the rulers of the 00:27:37.170 --> 00:27:39.990 culture of violence and war and turn away from 00:27:39.990 --> 00:27:43.789 them and walk the new uncharted path of gospel 00:27:43.789 --> 00:27:47.690 nonviolence, where we don't know where it's going 00:27:47.690 --> 00:27:52.529 to go. But from now on, our allegiance is to 00:27:52.529 --> 00:27:55.329 the nonviolent Jesus whom we met, whom we know, 00:27:55.470 --> 00:28:00.700 and we happily accept all the social and political 00:28:00.700 --> 00:28:03.660 implications of that encounter. Once you meet 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:05.740 the God of peace and nonviolence, your first 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:09.099 act is to fall down and worship, and you're full 00:28:09.099 --> 00:28:13.099 of joy. Your second act is to disobey the false 00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:15.720 gods of violence and war and the imperial ruling 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:19.019 authorities who kill and wage war all around 00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:22.980 the planet. So the real question then is, what 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:25.819 does the slaughter of the holy innocents have 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:32.880 to do with Christmas? Then... Or now. It shows 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:36.240 us how we've totally co -opted Christmas. The 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:39.480 empire has completely co -opted it. But how, 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:44.779 in truth, how Christmas is totally real and authentic 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:49.200 and political in your face. If we understood 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:53.079 who this child is and what he's going to do and 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:55.440 what he's going to teach in the Sermon on the 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:58.940 Mount. And the grassroots people power bottom 00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:02.539 up movement of total nonviolence, which he's 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:06.440 going to start and which continues today. Today, 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:08.480 our country and the countries of the world are 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:10.660 continuing to kill holy innocents everywhere. 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:15.220 You need only look at Gaza or South Sudan or 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:18.259 Ukraine or the millions of starving children 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:22.410 around the world. Our task. As people who claim 00:29:22.410 --> 00:29:24.410 to have had an epiphany of the God of peace, 00:29:24.490 --> 00:29:27.569 who have met the nonviolent Jesus, who want to 00:29:27.569 --> 00:29:30.289 live according to the Sermon on the Mount nonviolence, 00:29:30.329 --> 00:29:34.950 to be people of universal love. is to non -cooperate 00:29:34.950 --> 00:29:36.990 with this culture of violence and war and the 00:29:36.990 --> 00:29:39.569 rulers who kill the innocents, to resist them 00:29:39.569 --> 00:29:42.490 non -violently to the day we die, to defend the 00:29:42.490 --> 00:29:44.930 world's children non -violently, and to stop 00:29:44.930 --> 00:29:47.670 the ongoing slaughter of the innocents. That's 00:29:47.670 --> 00:29:50.289 our mission, not just not to kill, but to stop 00:29:50.289 --> 00:29:53.410 the killing and make sure it never happens again. 00:29:53.829 --> 00:29:56.569 As an epiphany, people who have encountered and 00:29:56.569 --> 00:29:59.960 follow the non -violent Jesus, We are no longer 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:02.059 on the side of the murderous rulers or war makers. 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:06.000 We all have got to learn that lesson. We are 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:11.019 the Jeremiah people who hear the cry of Rachel 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:15.980 weeping for her children today in Gaza, Iraq, 00:30:16.339 --> 00:30:19.019 Afghanistan, South Sudan, throughout Africa, 00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:22.880 all of India, all of Latin America, all of Asia. 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:26.680 Who? The mothers of homeless youth. the mothers 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:29.900 of death row inmates, the mothers of the immigrants 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:33.180 being arrested and shipped off by ICE, the mothers 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:35.799 of all the school shooting victims. Like Jesus, 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:39.539 we go forward in grassroots movements of justice, 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:43.380 disarmament, and nonviolence to stop the ongoing 00:30:43.380 --> 00:30:47.519 slaughter of the innocents. This is our job description, 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:51.880 which we get at Christmas. It's a great blessing 00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:55.880 because it brings great joy. So my questions, 00:30:56.119 --> 00:31:00.380 what are the political consequences of your epiphanies 00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:03.059 of the God of peace? How are you ignoring them 00:31:03.059 --> 00:31:06.059 or denying them? What about embracing them? How 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:08.079 does the empire and its rulers respond to the 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.539 coming of the nonviolent Jesus today and the 00:31:10.539 --> 00:31:13.259 grassroots movement of organized, loving, active 00:31:13.259 --> 00:31:16.500 nonviolence? Where do you hear the cry of Rachel? 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:19.559 Where do you see the slaughter of the innocents? 00:31:19.700 --> 00:31:22.279 How are you working to stop the slaughter of 00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:27.430 the innocents? How is the empire trying to stop 00:31:27.430 --> 00:31:30.910 us from following the nonviolent Jesus and living 00:31:30.910 --> 00:31:36.549 out, as the three wise figures do, the encounter, 00:31:36.849 --> 00:31:38.970 the epiphany encounter with the God of peace? 00:31:39.509 --> 00:31:42.569 Here are my conclusions of the epiphany story. 00:31:43.490 --> 00:31:48.140 First, is to say it again. God does not come 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:50.420 to the rich and powerful, but to the poor and 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:53.640 powerless. This is as true today as it was then. 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:56.339 If you want to meet God, you got to go to the 00:31:56.339 --> 00:31:59.019 poor and powerless. Get out of your comfort zones. 00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:02.740 And that leads me to number two. Second, God 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:06.420 is not found in the center of the culture of 00:32:06.420 --> 00:32:10.279 violence and war, but on its margins. This is 00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:13.220 the fundamental mistake of Christian history. 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:16.339 I mean, it's so obvious right there in Matthew. 00:32:16.500 --> 00:32:19.700 We presume that God dwells at the center. Why 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:22.119 wouldn't God be with the rich and famous and 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:26.160 powerful and beautiful? No. I mean, Mother Teresa 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:29.059 gave her whole life to that teaching. Her famous 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:33.279 quote, I heard her say it many times, God comes 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:36.240 to us in the distressing disguise of the poor. 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:41.400 God is on the margins with those no one wants 00:32:41.400 --> 00:32:45.599 to be with. Third, God is born among homeless 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:48.440 people, refugees, migrants, the undocumented, 00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:51.940 immigrants, prisoners, those with no country, 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:55.519 with no security, with no money, no future, no 00:32:55.519 --> 00:33:01.900 hope. Also, God is born in nature. God is found 00:33:01.900 --> 00:33:05.539 in nature. Therefore, nature, all of creation, 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:09.400 is pointing to God. With the story of the Magi, 00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:15.190 we know that God is for all of creation and for 00:33:15.190 --> 00:33:18.069 all people, for everyone, everywhere, and everyone 00:33:18.069 --> 00:33:21.069 is included. This brings me to another point 00:33:21.069 --> 00:33:24.410 I'm trying to say. Remember, Matthew's gospel, 00:33:24.569 --> 00:33:27.930 which is aimed at Jewish Christians, is declaring 00:33:27.930 --> 00:33:32.130 right at the start that Jesus is not just for 00:33:32.130 --> 00:33:34.430 the chosen people, but for Gentiles and therefore 00:33:34.430 --> 00:33:38.869 all people. The Magi are Gentiles. This is scandalous. 00:33:40.009 --> 00:33:43.289 And they are the ones who seek out and receive 00:33:43.289 --> 00:33:47.130 the Holy Child and bring gold to Mary. You know, 00:33:47.150 --> 00:33:51.589 it's a spectacular story. Here's another point. 00:33:52.309 --> 00:33:57.309 Epiphanies happen at night. Think on that. They 00:33:57.309 --> 00:34:00.869 are journeys toward God, but they take place 00:34:00.869 --> 00:34:05.170 in the dark, in the unknown. The sudden spiritual 00:34:05.170 --> 00:34:09.130 experience of God's presence comes after a long... 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:14.059 Journey at night. And so epiphanies require following 00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:18.199 stars, attending to creation, which means risking 00:34:18.199 --> 00:34:21.199 appearing foolish in the eyes of the world. You 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:23.300 know, when I think about that, one of my favorite 00:34:23.300 --> 00:34:27.480 quotes of Dr. King is, and I hadn't put this 00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:31.639 in my text, but here it goes. He said over and 00:34:31.639 --> 00:34:36.099 over again, only at night can you see the stars, 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:39.309 only in the dark. In other words, only when there's 00:34:39.309 --> 00:34:41.269 no hope, when you're in the dark, can you see 00:34:41.269 --> 00:34:44.590 the light of heaven. In other words, we have 00:34:44.590 --> 00:34:46.550 to become contemplatives if we want to have an 00:34:46.550 --> 00:34:50.710 epiphany. This is another critical lesson. Epiphanies 00:34:50.710 --> 00:34:54.809 require community. This is really important. 00:34:55.590 --> 00:34:58.349 Matthew does not tell this story about an individual 00:34:58.349 --> 00:35:03.329 wise figure. There's a community. And I think 00:35:03.329 --> 00:35:05.969 the lesson there from the beginning, especially 00:35:05.969 --> 00:35:10.340 toward us, privileged Americans is to give up 00:35:10.340 --> 00:35:14.519 our radical individualism, which has nothing 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:17.400 to do with the gospel. and join a local community 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:19.800 of peacemakers for the nonviolent Jesus. The 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.780 first thing Jesus does is form a community. The 00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:25.360 Magi seek the Holy Child together as a community. 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:29.139 They worship the Holy Child together as a community, 00:35:29.300 --> 00:35:32.500 and they disobey and resist the war -making ruler 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:36.119 and government together as a community. And then 00:35:36.119 --> 00:35:39.000 to state the obvious again, epiphanies are always 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:42.510 political. They become acts of nonviolent resistance 00:35:42.510 --> 00:35:45.190 to empire and war making. They lead us to the 00:35:45.190 --> 00:35:48.530 God of peace. And the experience of God always, 00:35:48.630 --> 00:35:52.389 always, always leads us away from the war making 00:35:52.389 --> 00:35:56.130 rulers. Why? Because we met God and we know that 00:35:56.130 --> 00:36:00.349 God is universal peace, total nonviolence, universal 00:36:00.349 --> 00:36:04.190 love. That's why I think, dear friends, if this 00:36:04.190 --> 00:36:08.949 is the beginning of Matthew, and it sums up Matthew, 00:36:10.679 --> 00:36:13.579 Epiphanies are life and death journeys. They 00:36:13.579 --> 00:36:17.260 involve risk. And that's what the gospel is all 00:36:17.260 --> 00:36:20.099 about. The days of normalcy and sitting in our 00:36:20.099 --> 00:36:24.460 comfort zones, those are over. Epiphanies require 00:36:24.460 --> 00:36:27.579 dropping everything we have planned immediately 00:36:27.579 --> 00:36:33.079 to go after the holy. Okay, so they're a little 00:36:33.079 --> 00:36:37.039 scary. They take us into the unknown. But what's 00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:39.420 not to like? We have friends. We have community. 00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:42.099 Didn't we just agree that? And we're going to 00:36:42.099 --> 00:36:46.480 encounter the holy, which might seem risky and 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:49.300 scary into this unknown place on the margins. 00:36:49.840 --> 00:36:54.480 No matter. We're full of joy. Because we've not 00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:57.420 only seen creation, we've seen and experienced 00:36:57.420 --> 00:37:01.480 the nonviolent Jesus, the God of peace. Well, 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:03.280 then epiphanies are going to get us in trouble. 00:37:03.719 --> 00:37:07.619 How could they not? in a world of total war if 00:37:07.619 --> 00:37:10.139 we're going to experience the God of total peace. 00:37:10.380 --> 00:37:13.280 They're going to disrupt our lives. And why do 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:16.199 we go just so far toward God and then we stop? 00:37:16.219 --> 00:37:20.500 We get so afraid. Epiphanies call us out of our 00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:25.800 fear, you know, and say, it doesn't matter. You've 00:37:25.800 --> 00:37:28.590 met the nonviolent Jesus. Let's keep following 00:37:28.590 --> 00:37:31.489 them. Yeah, so our lives get disrupted, but we're 00:37:31.489 --> 00:37:34.349 full of joy and consolation, and you know everything's 00:37:34.349 --> 00:37:38.250 going to be okay. And we can maintain that joy. 00:37:38.349 --> 00:37:40.670 That's what I experienced with my great friends, 00:37:40.829 --> 00:37:43.789 Daniel Berrigan, Desmond Tutu, and Thich Nhat 00:37:43.789 --> 00:37:48.530 Hanh, people of great joy. Epiphanies call us 00:37:48.530 --> 00:37:51.969 to the fullness of religious tolerance, which 00:37:51.969 --> 00:37:54.820 is... what Gandhi insisted on. Mary and Joseph 00:37:54.820 --> 00:37:58.679 are Jews, and they welcome the Magi, non -Jews. 00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:01.380 So like Mary and Joseph, we respect all religions 00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:04.579 and all cultures. Let me emphasize again in the 00:38:04.579 --> 00:38:07.699 end, epiphanies of God fill us with joy and lead 00:38:07.699 --> 00:38:10.380 us to worship and offer gifts to God. When we 00:38:10.380 --> 00:38:13.519 meet God, we are filled with joy, and after that 00:38:13.519 --> 00:38:17.789 we resist all that is not of God. All that is 00:38:17.789 --> 00:38:21.309 not of God's reign. And friends, we let the chips 00:38:21.309 --> 00:38:26.190 fall where they may. That's the spiritual journey. 00:38:26.230 --> 00:38:29.010 That's the meaning of life. To seek our God. 00:38:29.190 --> 00:38:34.900 To experience our God. To risk. prayer and worship 00:38:34.900 --> 00:38:38.159 and bringing gifts to God, to look for the non 00:38:38.159 --> 00:38:41.460 -violent Jesus, meet him, and from now on, do 00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:44.019 what he says because we've become his faithful 00:38:44.019 --> 00:38:47.599 disciples. And so, come what may, we go forward 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:51.559 on our pilgrimage. I read Matthew's story of 00:38:51.559 --> 00:38:53.659 the epiphany as a metaphor for our pilgrimage 00:38:53.659 --> 00:38:58.000 through life to the non -violent Jesus. Matthew's 00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:01.369 infancy narrative and epiphany Really sums up 00:39:01.369 --> 00:39:03.210 the gospel. So here's my concluding questions 00:39:03.210 --> 00:39:06.670 for you. Where are you again in the epiphany 00:39:06.670 --> 00:39:10.210 story? How are you seeking the nonviolent Jesus? 00:39:10.789 --> 00:39:14.750 How is creation today, even in this time of climate 00:39:14.750 --> 00:39:18.690 change, more than ever pointing us to God? When 00:39:18.690 --> 00:39:21.369 and where have you encountered the nonviolent 00:39:21.369 --> 00:39:24.949 Jesus? What gifts? Are you bringing the nonviolent 00:39:24.949 --> 00:39:27.989 Jesus this Christmas? How has your encounter 00:39:27.989 --> 00:39:31.269 with the nonviolent Jesus, your epiphany, disarmed 00:39:31.269 --> 00:39:35.750 you and changed your life and set you on a different 00:39:35.750 --> 00:39:39.150 direction in total opposition to all the violent 00:39:39.150 --> 00:39:42.190 rulers of the world, all their militaries and 00:39:42.190 --> 00:39:47.230 weapons and all of the forces of death? How do 00:39:47.230 --> 00:39:49.469 we disobey the political war -making authorities 00:39:49.469 --> 00:39:53.730 and do our part? to stop the ongoing slaughter 00:39:53.730 --> 00:39:57.250 of the innocents today, and to console Rachel 00:39:57.250 --> 00:40:00.349 as she weeps for her children today. Dear friends, 00:40:00.429 --> 00:40:03.090 my hope and prayer has been that this political 00:40:03.090 --> 00:40:06.250 reflection of Christmas encourages you on your 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:09.710 epiphany journey to the God of peace, to see 00:40:09.710 --> 00:40:11.829 where you are, to meet the nonviolent Jesus on 00:40:11.829 --> 00:40:14.769 the margins, and for the rest of your life, to 00:40:14.769 --> 00:40:17.050 carry on your nonviolent resistance to empire 00:40:17.050 --> 00:40:22.079 and stop the slaughter of the innocents. Thank 00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:24.159 you for listening to the Nonviolent Jesus podcast. 00:40:24.380 --> 00:40:27.199 You can hear many more podcasts and find other 00:40:27.199 --> 00:40:31.159 upcoming Zoom programs at BeatitudeCenter .org. 00:40:31.639 --> 00:40:34.400 Please consider offering a donation to support 00:40:34.400 --> 00:40:36.780 this free work. And if you can, please leave 00:40:36.780 --> 00:40:39.639 some positive feedback or a review and tell your 00:40:39.639 --> 00:40:42.960 friends about this. Dear friends, may the God 00:40:42.960 --> 00:40:46.239 of peace bless us all. Keep on following the 00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:48.940 Nonviolent Jesus and a very Merry Christmas.