We were talking about the adoration of Magi during preschool chapel this past week. I was explaining to the children that Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar had traveled from the east to meet the baby king Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea. I said that we do not know exactly where the Magi came from. It could have been Iran, India, or even China. One little boy said out loud, “They could have even come from California!” I paused and thought about it for a moment. Then I said, “Yes, they could have come from California or any of the Americas.” 

Mono-cultures Destroy Diversity

The Magi were ancient astrologers. The Aztec, Maya, and Inca are included among the ancient societies that studied the stars and perhaps had resources enough to voyage. Just the other day I was talking with a retired biologist form Chaffey college about the Inca. He was telling me about how the Inca had such a respect and understanding of the heavens, that they knew that weather patterns could change in an instant. For this reason they planted many different varieties of potatoes. Each species they planted could survive different kinds of weather patterns. This biologist went on to explain that the great potato famine of Ireland occured because there was only one kind of potato planted. When the weather changed the crops were lost and there was a famine. 

Monoculture is a term that describes depending on just one species or kind of organism. Monocultures are dangerous because they are vulnerable to disruption and change. More troubling is that today monocultures are widespread. Great swaths of land are cultivated with just one species of plant. Even more concerning is a surge in intolerance and hate around the globe directed toward people who are seen as “different.” Tribes, races, and cultures that are perceived to be different than the norm are experiencing hate and violence. In China the Huigar Muslims are targeted. India increasingly targets Muslims too. Christians are singled out in Syria. And in the United States of America hate against Jewish people is on the rise. An intolerance toward diversity of people is just another form of mono-culture. In the long run this weakens a society or an ecosystem. 

Baptism Preserves Diversity

There is a solution. Baptism is a gift from God that affirms the uniqueness of each human being. Baptism is a sacrament. It is the use of something very simple, water, combined with the Word of God, to share in eternal life and the unconditional love of God for each living creature. Baptism washes away the power of evil and death, and communicates the everlasting life of God known through Jesus Christ. 

The life giving and diversity affirming power of Jesus is what drew the three magi to pay homage to Jesus. Gaspar, M