A Gift for New Year

Yesterday, January 6, was the Feast of Epiphany. On that date, Western Christians celebrate the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, presenting him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The feast day also celebrates Jesus’ baptism as an adult in the Jordan River by his relative, John the Baptist. Now, it just so happens I woke up that morning with an epiphany of my own.

It started the night before as I scrolled through YouTube, which, as I have said in previous posts, is an addiction that may require an intervention at some point. Maybe I can give it up for Lent. I don’t know how likely that is, although I gave up alcohol one Lent and took nothing but cold showers for a year, so it’s entirely possible. We’ll see.

I got caught up in the testimonies of people who claimed to have had paranormal experiences with demons. Demons happen to be popular right now, especially in relation to UFOs and interdimensional slip sliding by various entities. You can find theologians, physicists, and journalists talking about them on, of course, YouTube. The UFOs are probably best left for another post (see They’re Here, Sort Of).

In one testimony, a guy recounted how during a near death experience two demons approached him and told him they had come to take him to hell for things that utterly surprised him. They surprised me, too. What were they? Being rude to a cashier, losing his temper once, not fulfilling his commitment on a rental agreement. He had rented an apartment with other people, had to leave, but then found someone to replace him so his buddies weren’t left holding the toaster.

Apparently, those were grave enough sins to warrant two of the most hideous creatures he had ever seen drag his soul off to hell in the “particular judgment,” or the accounting that each of us has to render upon death. That’s not good, I thought. It means we’re all doomed as opposed to being saved, which is also very popular in theological circles right now.

I thought of scripture passages about judgment: “Each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12); “On the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they spoke” (Matthew 12:36); “Work out your salvation in fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). That last one inspired the Danish, nineteenth century philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, to write Fear and Trembling (1843) to show how to work out our salvation.

Naturally, after demons, judgment, Purgatory, and “careless” words, which, if weighed, would bury me, I started trembling. I think the midnight hour and rain had something to do with it. Eventually, I settled on the guy’s rental agreement, which may sound odd at first except that it reminded me of a time when I did not have a place to live and a friend and his family took me in. Not for an hour or a day but an entire year. I slept on a cot and had to endure the dog cleaning himself every night, but I was inside where it was warm and dry. They saved me from sleeping at the office and showering at the gym, which I had been doing prior to that.

Here’s the thing. Honestly, all blog post punditry aside, I can’t remember if I paid them in all that time, including for food. The wife made fantastic Hungarian dishes that gave me a new appreciation of sour cream and paprika. That, I remember. I also remember that they did not charge me for rent. I slept wherever I could manage, but never did I give them money. At least, I don’t think so.

So here comes a two-part New Year’s resolution. First, I’m going to talk to the couple, who are godparents of one of my daughters, find out what happened back then, and rectify it. Second, I will pass on their generosity. I have already started by helping a friend in a similar situation, although he’s brought his own dog.

I truly consider this an Epiphany gift, one that came in a strange way but is helping me work out my relationship with God and other people. That is where I need to be and am grateful for it. It’s where we all need to be. Now, maybe I can get some sleep.

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Image credits: feature by Nick Fewings; alien by Max Böhme; Want more? Go to Robert Brancatelli. The Brancatelli Blog is a member of The Free Media Alliance, which promotes “alternatives to software, culture, and hardware monopolies.”