(Rembrandt: Adoration of the Magi)
"We have come to do him homage . . ."
Mt. 2: 1-12
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010823.cfm
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O God, who on this day
revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations
by the guidance of a star,
grant in your mercy; that we who know your already by faith,
may be brought to behold the beauty
of your sublime glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
During the last supper our Lord engages the apostle Thomas after he speaks of going away, preparing a place for his brothers, and coming back to take them with him. It may sound a bit strange to us on the surface as it apparently did with Thomas, so he says to Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (Jn 14: 5). Jesus responds seemingly not only to Thomas but to the others with him: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14: 6). It seems a poignant statement that doesn’t necessarily answer Thomas’ direct question. However, it is indeed a kind of template for this Sunday’s feast of the Epiphany and by application, one for our Christian journey.
There has been so much speculation and legend around this
visit of the magi apparently two years or so after the shepherds. We can assume for discussion that by now Mary
and Joseph have settled in Bethlehem, Joseph has found some employment with his
carpentry and stone mason skills, there may be family members present and so
rather than make the arduous journey back to Nazareth, they decided to settle
down in Bethlehem for some time. While that’s just speculation it seems
possible from the implications of the story.
The magi went entered “the house where the child was” and saw the
toddler with his mother Mary.
That being said, the story of the magi is rich with
symbolism and drama. Were they kings or
some sort of royal persons? Likely not
but connected to royalty as magicians and astronomers. They were wise in interpreting the movement
of stars and planets. These men by
tradition came from the east (Persia). They made predictions of events and
persons based upon the movement of the planets and stars in the night sky. The appearance of a significant new star in
the sky would have moved them to assume the birth of a new royal and they were
determined to go in search of that person.
Was it really a star or convergence of planets which
caused a great light in the sky? Did it
literally move across to heavens, leading them to Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem
just five miles from the city of David?
Some scholars float that the star was actually an angel who led these
wise men. Considering the role of angels
in the Christmas narrative there may be some truth in that. Why would God not send a messenger to guide
these figures along their way?
All that speculation aside, we may now want to consider
Jesus’ words I quoted at the beginning about “the way, the truth, and the
life.” To be on the way somewhere implies movement. I physically move from this point to that
point. On a journey could clearly be a
metaphor for our lives. Life is a
journey from birth to death. Along the
way I experience the highs and lows of life that form me as a person. As a Christian
that journey, that “way” leads in only one direction – to this God/man Jesus the
Christ.
There is no doubt these magi were singularly focused on a
path of discovery; we need to find this new king and until we do, our journey
will not be over. That journey or that
way brought them to the court of the ruthless Herod who had no good intentions
for the alleged rival king but they continue, led by the star (angel). Once they found the ultimate point of their
journey, they lay down all that was useful to them; all other sources of
discovery, and present the greater gifts of not only gold, frankincense and
myrrh to the child but in the same way their lives. After an encounter with the
true power, the greater king, they return home by a different way. They have been changed and begin to walk a new
direction. They approached their journey
with humility and open hearts and minds.
Isn’t the template of our Christian life a search for a
deeper relationship with Jesus? Our life is a journey and along the way, like
the magi, we too must be focused directly in our search. Jesus has shown us the way to journey and the
path to follow to live a life that is purposeful and fulfilled. Christianity and Catholicism is primarily not
about rules and regulations but about a relationship with the risen Christ.
In following the way of the Lord and in keeping Christ as
the center of our lives we will know the truth. It is membership in the Church,
the Body of Christ that leads us on our way which so often can be tempted to
journey a very different direction. In the sacramental life of the Church we
encounter the healing Christ, the forgiving Christ, the Jesus who feeds us with
his word and his body, we are joined in marriage and called to service in
ordained ministry. Although diverse, it
all leads to the same end – the one who came to set us free.
Jesus reminds us that he is the way and the truth. He states that he is THE truth and not one
truth among many others. In this age of
obsessive individualism when what is true is up for grabs depending on the
situation and the person’s choice, a condition which has seen faith, religion
and Christianity as an obstacle rather than as a guide, Jesus calls us to see
him as the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. There is no other
truth in the world that has the power to set us free as does attachment to the
source of all that is true.
The answer to all the confusion in life today is to
reorient ourselves in a deep commitment to Jesus Christ. Like the magi who follow the way to the
child, they discover how purposeful their long journey was. It is true that the
star which led them took them to the right place; the child truly is the king
they went in search of. To follow the
way of the Lord will inevitably keep us on the right and true path and we will
see the emptiness of all the other blowing winds of false truths around us.
Finally, Jesus states that he is the life. We read that these magi who now encountered
the face of God himself, discovered a wisdom beyond their own. Once that experience touched them as they set
aside all the instruments with which they searched, the gifts given, they
returned to their country by another route.
They could not go back the same way.
They were forever changed.
Is this way only for Christian believers? Not at all.
In the story of the magi, we see that God revealed himself to the gentile
world. That Christ came for all
humankind as we join together, Jew and Gentile, in a diverse community on a common journey, leading ultimately to eternal life.
Jesus is the “Way and the Truth and the Life.” Like the
star which guided them, may these magi lead us along that same route, and may
our lives be changed by the daily encounter with the One who came for all.
St. Paul sums it up in our second reading from Ephesians: ". . . that the Gentiles are co-heirs members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus, in the gospel." (Eph 3: 6).
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