Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas, as we keep the feast of the Epiphany today. It is good to know that our Orthodox brethren in the USA and the rest of the world keep Christmas on January 7 as their churches follow the Julian calendar.
The story of the three kings (though the Bible speaks of them not as kings but as the wise men from the east or the Magi) has fascinated us all. Liturgically, Epiphany is when the birth of the Messiah is manifested to the world in and through the three kings (number three is concluded from the number of gifts offered to Baby Jesus). Equally fascinating is the story of a fourth king immortalized by Henry van Dyke in his story “The Other Wise Man” written in 1895.
The fourth wise man is not mentioned in the Gospels but his name is Artaban. In the story version, our hero was late and missed the caravan as the other three left without him. He got to Bethlehem too late to see the Baby Jesus. But Artaban did make it in time to save one of the Holy Innocents by bribing a soldier. For the next 33 years Artaban searched for Jesus. He did not find Jesus, but all the while the Fourth wise man fed the hungry and helped the poor. Then one day in Jerusalem Artaban saw the “King of the Jews” being crucified. He started to offer a pearl as ransom. But then he saw a girl being sold into slavery to pay family debts. Artaban gave his pearl to buy freedom for the girl. Suddenly the earth quaked as Jesus died on the cross and a stone struck Artaban. Dying, he heard a Voice saying: “When you helped the least of my children, you helped me. Meet me in Heaven!” Artaban, the fourth Wise Man, had been making God present in his community for years by helping others. God asks each of us on the feast of Epiphany to be a fourth Wise Man by becoming God’s epiphanies, making His love present in the world around us by our acts of love and kindness.
This story can teach us something about making New Year resolution. Do you believe in making a New Year resolution? I believe everyone should have a New Year resolution because we all need personal growth. If so, why do some studies show that only about 20% persevere in practicing their resolutions while the vast majority’s resolutions crash by February? There are many reasons like lack of specificity, overdue expectations, poor will power, etc. Still, making a resolution gives us an impetus to become better and improve areas where we need growth.
This is especially true for us Christians in living the values of our faith. Whether our resolution is of a secular nature (better money management, stop a bad habit like drinking, eating more healthily, etc.) or of a spiritual nature, (to pray more, to read the Bible daily, attend church more regularly, etc.), we need to practice perseverance in implementing these – as did Artaban, the fourth wise man. In order to have the discipline of perseverance, we need to be very conscious of the Word of God that tells us: “I can do everything through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).In other words, if we rely on God as the center of our New Year resolution, then we have a far better chance of success. It is a great help to have an accountability partner who will gently remind us or lovingly challenge us to stay the course.
As Proverbs 16:3 asks us, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Happy New Year Blessings!
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Abraham Orapankal