At the beginning of this New Year, Pope Benedict XVI warned against two threats for religious freedom. He put two extremes in the same basket: secularism and terrorism. The former is the systematic exclusion of religion from the public sphere; the latter is the imposition of one’s own believes by means of violence.
St Matthew, who’s Gospel we shall be reading during this year, wrote his Gospel to a Community of believers facing similar threats. He was writing to the first Christian Community in Palestine, made up solely of Jews who followed Jesus, were witnesses of His Resurrection, and while maintaining their Jewish roots became faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Because of this they were being threatened of exclusion from the Jewish community and from the Temple. They new their fellow Jews, they also new the scrupulous way the Romans and Herod exercised their power.
Therefore, St Matthew reminds his Community of what Jesus Himself had promised and suffered. In writing to them, the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to write also to us. We shall be remembering the blessings Jesus promised to those who believe in Him and leave everything to follow Him… “together with persecutions”. He Himself was expelled from the Synagogue and suffered violence and the most atrocious death. And this was not just the climax of a build up; it had been so since His conception in His Mother’s womb. There was no place for Him in the inn (secularism) and as soon as He was born, He had to be driven away like a refugee, because Herod ordered the killing of all the boys in Bethlehem (terrorism).
To be a Christian is to suffer persecution and violence. However, there is no “victim complex” in Christianity. On the contrary, there is a sure conviction that the Truth does prevail, that the Word of God is creative and not only does everything exist by its power, but is also sustained by its power.
Trust in the Truth, which many intellectuals confuse with weakness, is not compatible with cursing the blind or violently fighting the liars. It is so paradoxical how many intellectuals are not aware of their contradiction in the exclusion of any religion with its wealth of experience and wisdom. In opposing religion, many intellectuals do not realize how they inflame the unreasonable conflict that many religious are not able hold from carrying them to extremes and violence.
St Matthew narrates a nice and symbolic story to confirm how trusting in the Truth is the solution to secularism and terrorism, rather than cursing and fighting back. Not all intellectuals are so unwise. In fact, most of the wisdom seekers are friends of the Truth. In fact, many wisdom seekers, without the need of any imposition of some religion, found the Truth; made a personal experience of the Truth and became truly religious. That is what happened two thousand years ago, at the birth of Jesus, with the Wise Men coming from the far East to worship the Truth. Jesus was the only human being to have had the courage to claim: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. He does not need anybody to defend Him or to impose Him on someone. If people are let free to follow their conscience, their love of truth and the inspirations of their heart, then they will find themselves gently and lovingly drawn to Jesus. This did not happen only at the birth of Jesus with the Wise Men, it happened also at His death with one of the thieves recognizing the saving power of Jesus.
And it is still happening in our days. The Wise Men of today are Blessed Henry Newman, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (or Edith Stain), Malcolm Muggeridge, Peter Seewald….
Wise men should not be afraid of the Truth… but not even religious people!

Fr Paul Fenech