Today’s Gospel is an extraordinary story; almost a fairy tale that tells of a moving star, a visit to a baby of some shadowy oriental figures - magi, magicians, astrologers. The story tells of unusual symbolic gifts, of messages conveyed in dreams. We might wonder what meaning it could have for us in a much advanced 21st. century. We don’t quite know who the magi were, and we don’t hear of them again at all. We are not told who the magi were, but we are told who Jesus was and is, and we are told who we are.
The clue is in the equally strange title of the feast: Epiphany. This, from the Greek, “epiphanei” means manifestation, a showing forth. It refers to a magnificent king visiting his subjects to receive their homage. So, I’d ask you to look at it this way, namely, Jesus, the king of kings visits his people; not the magi visiting Jesus. That’s the right perspective, which makes all the difference to us.
By the birth of this baby, God has become man and visited us and lives among us. This is the Good News that Mathew is preaching. All the history of God’s saving action comes to a climax in Jesus Christ. In a special way Mathew refers to the prophecies of Isaiah in order to correct the false views and expectations about the Messiah. The Messiah will be the Suffering Servant and Shepherd of God’s people. And the Good News is great news. It is not just for the people of Israel, the Jews. It is for us, too. As St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians (today’s first reading) puts it: “It means that pagan now share the same inheritance, that they are part of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them. And in chapter 60 of the Book of Isaiah, the prophet says, “The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. All are assembling and coming towards you....everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.” The magi from the East bringing gold and incense, are the representatives of this and of us all, the non-Jews. The promise of God-with-us is for us, too.
Only by coming to Christ will we find the way, the truth and the life. Only by offering to Christ all that we can, will we too be rescued from our darkness, our sin and meaninglessness, to live fully in his presence as sons and daughters of God. And this happens now, in this present moment. You have heard the expression, “God has visited his people.” But the word “visit” could be misleading. It might suggest something passing, something transient; the word “visit” could mean “popping in” and “popping out.” God’s visit is not like that. God comes to stay. “Know that I am with you always, yes, and to the end of time.” Jesus Christ is already present with us, and it shows. The Epiphany of the Lord continues. The presence of Christ is manifest is many ways: in the Church, in Scripture, in the sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist. We not only celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, we are the Epiphany of the Lord. As the body of the Lord, we are the sign of salvation, a sign turned towards the whole world. We are meant to be the star, moving and drawing all people to meet and know and love Jesus Christ. At the end of this Mass the priest will face all of you and say: “Go, you are sent to be epiphany to all those you meet in your daily lives, in your homes and neighbourhood, workplace and places of leisure.” In the words of the pope’s encyclical, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, no. 18, “we are to evangelise both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage and the lives and concrete milieux which are theirs.”
The Gospel writer Mathew reminds us at the end of this story that “they left for their own country by another road” (2,12). It was a journey of transformation for the three star-gazers. Having drawn near to the sacred, they were awakened to the mystery of their lives. They are now transformed by the experience of the Christ Child in the manger, and ready to live in a completely new and reflective way. Each one of them could truly say, “I have seen the Lord !” The magi now return home prepared to face the routine of life with new hope and purpose. They can now see the extraordinary in the ordinary and take notice of the wonder of life. Their inward search has led them to a life of paying homage, a life of praise and gratitude.
Like the magi, we too are led to Jesus. We come close to the border of mystery, to search for God in the stable of our hearts so that we can come completely into rhythm with our life in God. For instance, insights from occasional moments of deep prayer, from reading the Scriptures, our sensitivity to listening to the pain of a friend, or the problems of the deprived, may be for us the star or the brilliant flash of light that leads us to the Child and his mother. We discover that the real journey is not to Bethlehem or to the stable but into our own hearts - our inner centre which is largely shaped by our own experiences and the important choices we make in life.
St. Mathew’s reflection on the visit of the magi invites us to travel home “by another road.” It also invites us to support all those who are searching for God in the humility of a fragile baby and who wish to travel home, transformed.
In a world that is still reeling from global terrorism and the shock of the horrific events of September 11 - a dark day for humanity - we need a star from the East to redirect us to Bethlehem. There is no foundation for terrorism in Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths; and revenge will only allow the perpetrators to set the moral tone of the world’s agenda. Forgiveness, says Pope John Paul II in his New Year message, can co-exist with justice.
The star over our personal mangers may help us to expose the violence lurking within our own prejudiced hearts and hopefully guide us and our world on a new journey of respectful tolerance and peace. Like the magi, we too hope to return home, to live the New Year with renewed generosity and commitment to peace, treasuring the presence of the Saviour, the “fragrance she held in her arms,” our God in human flesh. That is our sacred journey home “by another road.”
PRAYER: Jesus,
we offer you the gold of our desire to love,
even though our hearts are often cold;
we offer you the incense of our longing to pray,
although our spirits can be lukewarm;
we offer you the myrrh of our frustrations and troubles,
even when self-pity and bitterness creep in.
Receive and make good our gifts
out of your great love for us,
and grant that we, like the wise men,
may find some kneeling space at Bethlehem.
The clue is in the equally strange title of the feast: Epiphany. This, from the Greek, “epiphanei” means manifestation, a showing forth. It refers to a magnificent king visiting his subjects to receive their homage. So, I’d ask you to look at it this way, namely, Jesus, the king of kings visits his people; not the magi visiting Jesus. That’s the right perspective, which makes all the difference to us.
By the birth of this baby, God has become man and visited us and lives among us. This is the Good News that Mathew is preaching. All the history of God’s saving action comes to a climax in Jesus Christ. In a special way Mathew refers to the prophecies of Isaiah in order to correct the false views and expectations about the Messiah. The Messiah will be the Suffering Servant and Shepherd of God’s people. And the Good News is great news. It is not just for the people of Israel, the Jews. It is for us, too. As St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians (today’s first reading) puts it: “It means that pagan now share the same inheritance, that they are part of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them. And in chapter 60 of the Book of Isaiah, the prophet says, “The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. All are assembling and coming towards you....everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.” The magi from the East bringing gold and incense, are the representatives of this and of us all, the non-Jews. The promise of God-with-us is for us, too.
Only by coming to Christ will we find the way, the truth and the life. Only by offering to Christ all that we can, will we too be rescued from our darkness, our sin and meaninglessness, to live fully in his presence as sons and daughters of God. And this happens now, in this present moment. You have heard the expression, “God has visited his people.” But the word “visit” could be misleading. It might suggest something passing, something transient; the word “visit” could mean “popping in” and “popping out.” God’s visit is not like that. God comes to stay. “Know that I am with you always, yes, and to the end of time.” Jesus Christ is already present with us, and it shows. The Epiphany of the Lord continues. The presence of Christ is manifest is many ways: in the Church, in Scripture, in the sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist. We not only celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, we are the Epiphany of the Lord. As the body of the Lord, we are the sign of salvation, a sign turned towards the whole world. We are meant to be the star, moving and drawing all people to meet and know and love Jesus Christ. At the end of this Mass the priest will face all of you and say: “Go, you are sent to be epiphany to all those you meet in your daily lives, in your homes and neighbourhood, workplace and places of leisure.” In the words of the pope’s encyclical, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, no. 18, “we are to evangelise both the personal and collective consciences of people, the activities in which they engage and the lives and concrete milieux which are theirs.”
The Gospel writer Mathew reminds us at the end of this story that “they left for their own country by another road” (2,12). It was a journey of transformation for the three star-gazers. Having drawn near to the sacred, they were awakened to the mystery of their lives. They are now transformed by the experience of the Christ Child in the manger, and ready to live in a completely new and reflective way. Each one of them could truly say, “I have seen the Lord !” The magi now return home prepared to face the routine of life with new hope and purpose. They can now see the extraordinary in the ordinary and take notice of the wonder of life. Their inward search has led them to a life of paying homage, a life of praise and gratitude.
Like the magi, we too are led to Jesus. We come close to the border of mystery, to search for God in the stable of our hearts so that we can come completely into rhythm with our life in God. For instance, insights from occasional moments of deep prayer, from reading the Scriptures, our sensitivity to listening to the pain of a friend, or the problems of the deprived, may be for us the star or the brilliant flash of light that leads us to the Child and his mother. We discover that the real journey is not to Bethlehem or to the stable but into our own hearts - our inner centre which is largely shaped by our own experiences and the important choices we make in life.
St. Mathew’s reflection on the visit of the magi invites us to travel home “by another road.” It also invites us to support all those who are searching for God in the humility of a fragile baby and who wish to travel home, transformed.
In a world that is still reeling from global terrorism and the shock of the horrific events of September 11 - a dark day for humanity - we need a star from the East to redirect us to Bethlehem. There is no foundation for terrorism in Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths; and revenge will only allow the perpetrators to set the moral tone of the world’s agenda. Forgiveness, says Pope John Paul II in his New Year message, can co-exist with justice.
The star over our personal mangers may help us to expose the violence lurking within our own prejudiced hearts and hopefully guide us and our world on a new journey of respectful tolerance and peace. Like the magi, we too hope to return home, to live the New Year with renewed generosity and commitment to peace, treasuring the presence of the Saviour, the “fragrance she held in her arms,” our God in human flesh. That is our sacred journey home “by another road.”
PRAYER: Jesus,
we offer you the gold of our desire to love,
even though our hearts are often cold;
we offer you the incense of our longing to pray,
although our spirits can be lukewarm;
we offer you the myrrh of our frustrations and troubles,
even when self-pity and bitterness creep in.
Receive and make good our gifts
out of your great love for us,
and grant that we, like the wise men,
may find some kneeling space at Bethlehem.
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