We Should All Be Magi

From the Catholic Liturgy for Epiphany Sunday, January 8, 2018. Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12. Theme: We Should All Be Magi. Today we celebrate a Christmastime feast that is second only to the Nativity of the Lord: The Epiphany, which is an ancient Greek word meaning “manifestation”, a moment of sudden enlightenment, a realization about the truth of something or someone. And so today we remember and rejoice in the fact that the Magi were given the light to glimpse into the reality of Who and What this Little Child in Bethlehem was.

This may not seem like an astounding thing to us 21^st century Christians who live in a global world and who live out our faith in a community of diverse people. But when Matthew was writing his gospel this was culture-shattering – and even scandalizing – news!  You see, Jewish law considered the Magi – and anyone who was a Gentile – to be unclean, sinful and unworthy of an intimate relationship with God. 

But today’s Gospel is telling us some good news!  It proclaims that all people from any nation are welcome into the Presence of God, even us sinners if we are searching for God with sincere hearts.  So, let’s take another look at this Gospel and see what the Holy Spirit wishes to teach us in the story of the Magi.

First, we see that the Magi are seekers, who leave the comfort zone of their lives to follow the star.  They experience a sign that God is communicating with them and they set out to discover what this means; are willing to go wherever it leads; to do whatever it takes to find the Newborn King.  Do we have that same sincere and eager desire to know God and his plan for our lives?  Are we willing to go to any length for the sake of our relationship with God?

The Magi are inquirers who act upon what they have learned.  They are humble and realize that they do not know all there is to know about finding God. They ask those who do know to tell them how they can find the Lord’s Messiah. Notice that Herod and the religious leaders know exactly where the Messiah is to be born, but they make no move to go there. They had the word of Scripture to guide them but they allow those words to remain just ink on a page. But the Magi give life to the Scriptures by hearing and doing. So, this might move us to ask ourselves: what is my response to the Word of God? Am I like the Magi who allow the Scriptures to give direction to my life and serve my relationship with God?

And once they find the Child, the Magi bow down in homage, they worship Him. They offer the Newborn King precious gifts, which symbolize what He means to us. Gold is precious in every culture. Incense is used by just about every religion for worship. And myrrh is an ancient embalming perfume used as a last respect for the deceased. 

But these gifts can also be symbols for us of our relationship with Jesus. They can remind us of what we must bring to Him today, and really everyday of our lives.  They gave Him Gold because He is King. We can give Him our hearts, our loyalty and obedience. We follow Him into the Kingdom of God. They gave Him Frankincense because He is God. We give Him our praise, adoration and worship, in daily prayer and especially at Holy Mass. They gave Him Myrrh because He is the Savior. We gratefully give Him our own lives in return, as daily living sacrifices of mercy and compassion to those who suffer in any way.

Finally, the Magi cherish their experience of God. In return for their sincerity and eagerness to find Him, the Newborn King gives them the gift of faith and they treasure it. They refuse to reveal the Child to Herod. Do we cherish our relationship with Jesus? Do we refuse to expose it to people, places or things that can rob us of this treasure by leading us to sin?

As we ponder this mystery of the Magi, let’s not forget the miraculous event that started it all: the Bethlehem Star, the symbol of the Light of Faith. And you know, our journey to Jesus also began with the light of faith given to each one of us at Baptism and symbolized by the baptismal candle we received.  And really that’s the heart of Christmas, of Epiphany and of every feast-day that the Church celebrates in her liturgy: that we follow the light of faith and are willing to take risks, to even leave comfort zones in our journey through life until we come to adore Christ the Lord for all eternity.