The celebration of the Epiphany highlights a profound revelation: Christ came not only for the Jews but for all people, as shown by the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi, outsiders and strangers from distant lands, were led to the Christ child by a star, representing the universal reach of God’s love. This moment invites us to see beyond the familiar and to recognize the presence of Christ in every person, regardless of background or identity.
It is easy to see the face of Christ in the kind stranger, such as the generous grocery store clerk who gives you credit for your recently-expired coupon. The real challenge comes when we consider the irritating or threatening stranger, i.e. the stranger who doesn’t deserve our kindness. The guy who recklessly cuts you off in traffic, the relentless tailgater or that person in front of you going 9 miles an hour under the speed limit? Is it a fellow shopper in the grocery store who gives you a dirty look because you didn’t see them coming around the corner? The “foreigner” who may or may not have a green card, or merely someone of a different skin color or religious affiliation? Could this stranger be an estranged friend or family member because they don’t align with your views on the current political situation or world issues?
What was more important for Christ, rules or relationships?
We are faced with daily opportunities (and challenges) for us to grow in relational maturity by choosing to recognize Christ in everyone. We are here to help one another, to support one another (even the crabby, irritating strangers who threaten our peace). These difficult encounters can be embraced as training challenges for us to become the best versions of ourselves: the people God created us to be. The best way we can do this is by setting a good example in our responses and interactions with all strangers.
The Magi were probably not all from the same country. Some may had been enemies, yet their journey teaches us that Christ is not bound by boundaries—He is revealed to all who seek Him. This universal call requires us to look beyond superficial differences and to recognize Christ’s image in the faces of those we may not initially understand or appreciate.
To see Christ in strangers is to see with the eyes of compassion, to offer hospitality and love freely, just as the Magi did, bringing gifts to the child King. To see Christ in the face of strangers is to live out this inclusion, to open ourselves to the radical hospitality that Christ demonstrated. If only we could all take a breath in prayer and seize every opportunity as a gift to share the richness of His grace with others.
As Victor Hugo’s line from Les Misérables so powerfully captures, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Loving and welcoming the stranger allows us to encounter the divine. Just as the Magi’s journey deepened their faith, seeing Christ in those who are different, unfamiliar and challenging can transform our own hearts, expanding our understanding of God’s love.