Day 251
First things first, because this is very, very important: TODAY is the day you can finally move those three wise men into or near your nativity scene. If you did it before today, you shouldn't have, because they were still making their way to Bethlehem, and all you've done now is confused the poor men.
Little Christmas, or the Feast of the Epiphany, has a long and jumbled past, so if you're at all curious, I encourage you to spend some time getting confused for yourself on Wikipedia. I just did, and subsequently decided not to bog you down with the same odd details. Instead, I'd just like to look at this idea of wisdom.
In terms of the story of the Magi, wisdom is represented by the three kings (Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar), who see in the ancient texts and prophecies the truth that a great king will be born in Bethlehem. They travel from different lands, from different faith backgrounds too, and see in this new baby the one who will be called the Messiah. The Christian word Epiphany refers to this new fact in the nativity story: that even non-Jews have recognized someone special has been born.
Yet wisdom transcends religion and faith, and indeed is sought after by followers of all faiths and even those who don't believe in a higher power. In this way, wisdom is a truly intangible gift we all hope to achieve or attain, but never will. We are, many of us at least, seekers of wisdom, and though we can be called wise, we are not wise-ards--wizards (it's funny to note, this use of the word "wizard" to describe a wise man or sage is now considered obsolete according to Wikipedia).
According to the primary definition online, we are wise when we "think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight". It's these last two attributes I'm most delighted to see, because they speak of the inexplicable grasp one must have on all that can be seen and understood, not just from books, but from the world at large as well.
So maybe you believe in these three wise men who came to visit and pay homage to Jesus, or maybe you do not. Either way, today's feast is an occasion to think a bit more on wisdom, and how we all seek it. Do you believe every post you read online? Do you share posts on social media meant to divide and insult people, or do you share posts meant to break down the walls that separate us from each other? How wise are you? How wise do you wish to be considered?
You may not care how smart people think you are, but this isn't about facts and figures. It's about having enough wisdom to know right from wrong, and a little wisdom can go a long, long way. If we even just tried to appear wise, we'd all be that much closer to realizing the possibilities of a wiser life. Just think before e-mailing, commenting, or sharing a post. Are you trying to teach, or are you trying to mock? No one expects you to be a wizard, but we could all stand to be a little wiser a lot more often than we are.
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