Epiphany 2005

Every year for the feast of the Epiphany, I look forward to revisiting the story of the three wise men. My personal fascination with this episode of the Gospel motivates me to probe further into the details than I have previously. Sure enough, this year I did come across some ‘new’ facets of it that increased my appreciation, even if I did not discover any new facts about it. I hope that you will join me in my delight as I make mention of some of these findings.

Tradition holds that there were three Magi and that they were kings. This is a reference back to Psalm 71, read at this Mass, which says that kings of Tarshish and the islands, kings of Sheba and Seba would come to the royal son and offer him gifts. They are said to have been natives of Persia, Arabia and Seba, countries to the East of Palestine. And in the book of Numbers of the OT, an oracle of Balaam related that a star would come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter would arise from Israel.

The words ‘Magi’ comes from the same root as our word ‘magic’ and denotes, in the context here, men of learning, men who knew the natural sciences and who had studied the scriptures. As seekers of truth, they were men of integrity, upright men, kings of moral nobility. When St. Matthew first mentions the star in the sky, he takes it as something known. Nothing is said of its origin or of how these foreigners to the Jews got knowledge of the birth of the Messiah king. Could it have been by way of an angelic revelation to them, something of the kind that had imparted knowledge to St. Joseph in his sleep? Angelic communication from Bethlehem to the guardian angels of the magi would have been a swift and effective vehicle of communication. The fact is that these men had received some knowledge, some insight, that the one whose birth had been foretold had indeed been born, and that they had the desire to seek for him, to know God made man, to adore him, to serve him. We may well suppose that God had found these men worthy of such a privileged place in the history of mankind as to become the renowned questers of Christ. We can only imagine what a driving desire they had in their hearts to make their long journey in order to visit Jesus.

Bearing gifts is a feature of their story that’s often commented upon. But it is the fact of brings gifts at all that should first make us take notice. It’s a common thing–or, at least used to be–that when one visits another he brings some gift with him. With Eastern hospitality (that seems to have persisted even to this day), these enlightened men would not have come to the Person of their search without giving him some gifts. (This is a something we might want to keep in mind when we come to visit the Lord every time we enter a Catholic church. We ought not to come without a gift–we, who are perhaps more used to asking and receiving than giving.)

The departure from their home countries and their journey is often spoken about, or sung about: “we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.” The point is that their trip cost them no small amount of effort and determination, since travel was a difficult and often dangerous undertaking in those times. The message for us is that to possess Christ, there should be no counting the cost; nothing is more important, nothing more precious, nothing more expedient than having Christ. If only we had as much zeal, dedication, and passion for Christ as these men!

The star that guided them has a fascination all its own. From the biblical account it seems that this star was not one of the stars of the sky, not a natural phenomenon, but a miraculous thing, fashioned for the set purpose of guiding the kings on their way. Its light was like a celestial torch illuminating the night. Scripture says that the star’s appearance caused the magi to be “overjoyed.” It attracted them, it beckoned them to follow its path: this is no ordinary astronomic occurrence. It’s an interesting fact that the star led them at first not to Bethlehem but to Jerusalem. This might seem like a mistake, but it all fit into God’s plan. Jerusalem would be the place where the Messiah would take possession of his own city (that would come about both at the Presentation in the Temple, when our Lord was yet an infant, and then, later, on Palm Sunday when He would fulfill the prophecy riding in on a donkey.) This detour of the magi was to cause the disturbance that led to Herod’s murder of the Holy Innocent children. Herod, we know from historical accounts, had been granted the title ‘king of the Jews’ by the Roman emperor, a title that the Jews resented, of course, since Herod was a foreigner. He was a violent man and committed many murders in his lifetime, and so, the slaughter of the innocent infants was not unusual, but rather, typical for him. We seen the naivete of the magi when they arrived in Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” We can understand Herod’s fury, even if we cannot excuse his actions. But it was Herod, and not the star itself, that informed the magi that Bethlehem was their true destination. The star then reappeared and led the magi to Bethlehem, making one wonder why the side trip to Jerusalem had been necessary. The answer is hidden in God’s secret providence, but we may speculate that whenever the light of Christ appears in this world, there’s always an opposing darkness. Christianity has always met with conflict since the very beginning of our Lord’s nativity. We should not expect the world today to be any more hospitable to Christ or to His Catholic Church.

The miraculous nature of the star is reaffirmed where St. Matthew says that at Bethlehem it stopped over the place where Jesus was. The place of their destination may have been somewhat of a surprise for the magi. After such an exacting journey and such anticipation, they were led to a mere cave and beheld–if not poverty–at least rustic simplicity. But this seems not to have mattered to them at all, for they had found Jesus, the Son of God. They prostrated themselves, they adored him; they had found the object of their search in finding God. How blest these men were! As Jesus would say many years later, ‘many have longed to see what you see but did not see it, to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’ These men were singularly blest. Their story has been preserved to make you realize how really fortunate you are in knowing Christ, in being able to adore him and–unspeakably great–to be able to be fused with Him in Holy Communion.

There are other things to say about Epiphany, but I can’t mention them all. This feast makes me praise and thank God for the true Catholic faith that has guided me all my life. It’s been my own guiding ‘star’ and has given me that overwhelming joy, like that of the magi over their star. Even though it has led me to places that I would not have gone on my own–the priesthood being the most outstanding thing for me–it has brought me to God. Everyone here today should get on his knees and thank God he’s a Catholic.

We’re more than kings!