Epiphany of the Lord
The formal name for today’s solemnity is the Epiphany of the Lord, but it’s commonly called the Feast of the Three Kings. So, were these mysterious figures kings, wise men, or magi? The Greek word used for them was magoi, or in Latin, magi ab oriente, magi from the east.
The tradition that they were kings developed as way of bringing fulfillment to references in the Old Testament. Psalm 72 declares: “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts” (v.10), and Isaiah proclaims, “When kings see you, they shall stand up, and princes shall bow down” (49:7). But Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t call them kings.
We sometimes call them wise men. In ancient times, the East was considered by many to be the source of wisdom, where the light of a new day enters our experience. St. Matthew said they were from the east, but he distinctly calls them ”magi”. Magi were likely adherents to the ancient religion Zoroastrianism, perhaps practitioners of astrology, and possibly even of the dark arts.
They told the wicked and paranoid King Herod that they were in search of “the newborn king of the Jews”. Having side-stepped his plan to kill the child, they continued following the mysterious star, until it led them to a house. This reference to a house, rather than a manger, indicates that this occasion must have happened sometime after Jesus’ birth. Upon entering the house, St. Matthew says, “they saw the child with Mary his mother”, and prostrated themselves before him.
What about the gifts? First of all, this was not a baby shower. They weren’t really even gifts, because after all, he was king, and therefore, all things already belonged to him. Instead, it was a gesture of honor, tribute.
But what we primarily celebrate in this solemnity is not the gifts, or the mysterious men following a mysterious star. It’s that these men came to encounter the newborn king and to take this revelation out into the world. There’s a lot to be considered and processed in all that, that all nations and all people become God’s children and part of His covenant, through the birth of Jesus. But in that, part of what we celebrate is the fact these magi were to take this news to the nations of the world. And with that in mind, especially considering Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations…” (Mt 28:19), we might ask: have I done my share?
I heard a story[i] about a man who dreamed he was in a room filled with file drawers—the kind we used to find in libraries. He noticed a label on one of the drawers: Girls I have liked. He opened the drawer and saw on each card, the name of a girl that in fact, he used to like. Amazed, he closed the drawer and saw the drawer next to it, labeled Friends. He opened it and saw on each card was the name of a friend from some part of his life. There were lots of cards! Another drawer was labeled Friends I have betrayed. He saw one that said Lustful thoughts, then another marked as Hurtful comments. He opened it and looked at one card after another. Each card recalled something hurtful he had said, in detail, to another person. And each card was written in his handwriting and bore his signature.
Staring in disbelief, his heart was beginning to swell. And he came to realize that every word he had ever said, every action, good and certainly bad, in detail, were all on these cards. Drawer, after drawer, after drawer.…card, after card, after card….it was all there. He closed the drawers in shame and embarrassment, overwhelmed with anxiety. Then he noticed a drawer that said People I have shared the Good News of Jesus with. Feeling hopeful, he opened it, only to find four cards within. “Four cards!”, he thought, “Of all the things I’ve done, and all the things I’ve said, I’ve only told four people that God was born among us, as an act of love.”
God wanted this message to reach all peoples. At the end of this Mass you and I will be dismissed to go out into the world. Let’s make sure someone knows that God loves them and came to be close to them, especially those who are hurting, those who are lost. Are you willing at least to pray about it? Are you willing to consider how you can be the voice for this beautiful truth? Which drawer is going to get more cards added to it this week?
[i] From Fr. Larry Richards’ audio recording The Mystery of Christmas (formed.org)