King Herod commanded his men to search diligently for the child so that he too could pay Him homage, but we know his command was out of fear and deception. He feared this new king so much, that he commanded all newborn children to be killed in order to eradicate any threat to King Herod's power. He is also lazy and gets others to do the work. His command is prophetic, and it reminds us to be like the wise men instead, to search diligently for Jesus, and to find Him. Are we more like Herod or more like the wise men? Am I passive like Herod? Or am I active like the wise men? We are to worship together diligently like the wise men did. It's easier to be like King Herod, and expect others to do the work, but we are responsbile for our own souls. King Herod never found Jesus.
People search for God in all of the wrong places. Many have even stopped searching for Jesus for a variety of reasons. Thirty percent of the people in Ottawa are not religious at all, which means they are not searching for God. This is a serious crisis, and so you and I must help them to find true peace and true joy. Like the wise men, we kneel down and pay homage to Jesus every Sunday at Mass. We have encountered Him, and we have been transformed. The wise men returned home by another route. Each time we encounter the Lord in the Ecuharist we are transformed and healed, and moved to become a better son or daughter of God. We are never the same. Each week we are called to walk the path of righteousness, and make changes in small steps in our search for holiness. We must return home a changed person every week.
