For two summers I worked in a Catholic-run group home for older men with severe physical and mental challenges; many had been cared for there since they were in their early 20s. In my limited role as an aide, I was able to assist the residents with their meals and recreation time, and occasionally we went on a “field trip” to the Kmart right down the street.
I still have such pleasant memories of the men – we went in groups of 8 – all hobbling and wheeling themselves to the aisle where the Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars were displayed. That was always the first stop … even before the candy and snack section (another favorite aisle). Their innocence was so pure, and I often found myself thinking in moments like this that I was catching a glimpse of heaven right there in Aisle 7.
And then, as it often happens, I was pulled right back to present reality.
Sometimes “our boys,” as we called them, were mindless of their surroundings: they would bump into other shoppers or be a bit too loud when they discovered a toy that caught their fancy. The fact that they travelled in a pack was intimating to others, too. Gratefully, most Kmart patrons were kind; some even went out of their way to engage the men.
But not all.
One encounter that remains etched in my memory involved a group of teens from the local high school up the street who mocked both the speech patterns and movements of our boys as they crossed paths near the check-out area. It broke my heart to witness what fear brings out in others; yet it also showed me the often powerful ways in which God shows up – often through the persons we least expect.
No sooner had we as aides chased-off the teen tormentors that a cashier came out from behind her register and gathered these boys around her. She stood in the midst of them – a no-nonsense grandmotherly figure who had been working at Kmart “before they put the K in Mart” – and told them this bit of advice: “Pay those turkeys no mind and hold your heads high, boys. You are all superstars in my book.”
In some ways, it’s the very theme of Epiphany Sunday as we celebrate God’s ultimate vision for our salvation: Pay the turkeys no mind and hold your heads high.
Let's face it, there will always be "turkeys" -- Herods -- in our lives, be they cruel teenagers mocking that which they are afraid to authentically come to know or the passive aggressive aunt who criticizes how you cook your lasagna and raise your children. Occasionally, the Herods we encounter act from a space of evil that has captured their hearts.
What to do when the Herods want to shake our peace and destroy our faith?
In moments like these, follow the advice set out in the Gospel, the same advice offered by the compassionate cashier who took a rag-tag group of special needs men and loved them in their space of hurt and embarrassment.
Firstly, “hold your head high” and follow the star -- the beacon of light in the darkness of night that will always lead us to the love of Christ … and to become the light of Christ. That light might shine in different ways and times throughout our lives, but it will never steer us off course.
The star's light has as its source daily prayer, opportunities to reflect on the Word of God and the privileged gift of receiving our Savior's healing Presence in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Are we willing to make dedicated time for that light to grow brighter in our lives? Are we open to sharing that light with others on the journey, even if we don't always do it perfectly?
Never forget the evangelist John's words that we hear every Christmas morning at Mass: "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." It never will if we always keep our hearts focused on that star.
And should there be times that the starlight seems to be growing faint along our journey of faith, take the wisdom revealed to the Magi in a dream and let's make it our own: find another way.
When someone tries to destroy the reputation of a coworker or friend, find another way to stop the gossip in its tracks. Praise a good trait of the one being spoken about.
As you are ignored or overlooked, pray for the person whose selfishness prevents them from seeing beyond their own self-centered world. Don't retaliate in kind.
In every moment, through God's grace, we can find a different way to share the light through acts of mercy, forgiveness and compassion. We need not sink to Herod's level; we need not let the starlight dim and fade into nothingness. Rather, take the route espoused by St. John of the Cross, he who suffered for years at the hands of his very own religious community who mocked him and locked him in a prison-cell at his own monastery. John would often write while in captivity: “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love.”
Have no doubt: darkness thinks it's winning against true love. Evil will do everything in its power to stop the light of Christ within us from shining forth into the world. Satan mocks us and tempts us to believe that selfishness and sin are the better way to travel; that our own self-centered, closed-off hearts and world are the only thing that really matters. Darkness wants us to become Herods, too.
Don't let the darkness win. Silence the turkeys, as my Kmart friend once told us.
Fight back by holding your heads high and following the light that comes from prayer and compassion, from the presence of God's grace at work within us.
That's how we go forward into the new year by following a different road. It's not just a dream, either. It's reality ... as long as we know how to blind the turkeys with Light.