Isaiah 60:1-6 | Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 | Matthew 2:1-12

"Rise up in splendor! Your light has come,
the glory of God shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples;
But upon you God shines, and over you appears God's glory. . . .
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
Your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow."
(Isaiah 60:1-2, 4-5)

Earlier this week, on January 2, the Maryknoll Sisters celebrated their feast day, their 101st year. They are women who, like the Magi from the East, follow Christ's light and exult in its glow. In impoverished communities around the planet, they have taught and sutured and given refuge and shared resources and wandered through jungles with children in their arms as helicopters circle overhead. They have built schools and administered health clinics and organized delegations with determination, grace, and humility. As a Christian community, we give thanks for their witness and their immeasurable contributions to us all.

Maryknoll sisters and other missioners who cross borders often have the experience of Christ revealing himself anew, in unexpected places, through surprising messengers. You may have heard or read the story of the little boy who goes out in search of God...