One of the loveliest New Testament legends relates to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. The story is about the penitent thief, named Dismas, and tells that he did not meet Jesus for the first time when they both hung of their crosses on Calvary. The story runs like this. When St. Joseph and Blessed Mary were on their way to Egypt, they were waylaid by robbers. One of the robber chiefs wished to murder them at once and to steal their little amount of goods. But something about the baby Jesus went straight to

Dismas’ heart, for Dismas was one of these robbers. He refused to allow any harm to come to Jesus or His parents. He looked at Jesus and said, “O most blessed of children, if ever there comes a time for having mercy on me, then remember me, and forget not this hour.” So, the legend says, Jesus and Dismas met again at Calvary. They were both crucified, Dismas the thief on His right who became known as the “good thief” because he asked Jesus to remember him when He entered Paradise. And Jesus, remembering his mercy to His parents and Himself as an infant, responded saying: “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” Dismas found mercy and forgiveness for his soul because of his faith and mercy earlier on. It is a lovely story and shows that no gift which Jesus receives is ever forgotten. Isn’t it true that when we give a gift to Jesus, it will never be forgotten, and our reward will be beyond belief! In today’s Gospel we hear of the story of the three Magi who travelled far and wide to bring their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn King! They had everything material in their lives but were still unfulfilled. They needed something more from the newborn King: acceptance and love. Once they met Jesus and His parents at the manger, they felt an enormous sense of joy and fulfillment. Nothing else seemed to them to matter as much anymore. The Gospel says this in a very beautiful way: after they met Jesus and avoided the trickery of Herod, “they departed for their country by another way.” The message is clear to all of us, my brothers and sisters. When we bring our gifts to Jesus, we actually find “another way” to view life; to accept challenges and dangers. Just like St. Dismas and the 3 Wise Men, Jesus invites us to live another way: with peace, mercy, and love for all people in our lives.                                                                    ~ Fr. John