But there was no information so we continued and arrived at evening, not a moment too soon. Finding the place, it was (as you may say) satisfactory.

The Magi find no information at the tavern. The Birth has been largely unknown. It was almost two years before the Magi found Him; He was known to most as only, “the carpenter’s son.”

Modern creches often show the Magi at the scene of the manger, but we have two verses in the Bible that tell us otherwise. The shepherds came to the manger and found a baby: “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16). But the Magi find not a baby, but a child: “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him” (Matthew 2:11).

And it was, as Eliot says, “not a moment too soon.” The Magi were close to the point of breaking. They had journeyed for almost two years, dealing with cold, hunger, lack of shelter, stubborn camels, and servants running off. Here at last was the end of the journey.

And it was “satisfactory.” Only “satisfactory.” To come such a long way, to survive so many trials, and to find a humble home and a very human child. It was not what the Magi had expected. Yet, they hadn’t really known what to expect when they began their search. Were they, used to opulent lifestyles, disappointed with the ordinary trappings? Perhaps. Nonetheless, what they saw and felt was enough that they fell to their knees and worshipped Him.

There may not have been any fireworks involved in TS Eliot’s conversion, but whatever he found with the Church and Christ was enough for him to remain a dedicated Christian until his death.

In retrospect, I realize my husband’s death was, “not a moment too soon.” I was exhausted and depleted during those last nine months, seldom sleeping and constantly worried. I now know that God took Ron Home at just the right time.

REFLECTION:

When has something happened in your own journey that was, “just the right time”, when you had run out of your own resources and needed to rely only on God?