Today
we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord.
This is a sign that our Christmas season will soon be coming to an end.
Many of us have given and received gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Think about
what’s the best gift that you received this Christmas. Was it a toy, video game, clothing or
jewelry? All of these gifts are well and
good, but I think the greatest gift we’ve received is God humbling himself to
become one of us, being born as a little baby to Mary and his step-father
Joseph. He came to give us the greatest
gift of all, Eternal life, to those who come to faith in him. The Magi we hear
about today give us an example of this faith and giving Jesus their best gifts.
The
Magi were a priestly people who were thought to have supernatural knowledge by
interpreting the stars. They were in
search of something greater. The Magi, who
were Gentiles, people outside of the Jewish faith, were led by the star to
Jerusalem to find a newborn king of the Jews.
Jews, to find Jesus. When King Herod, the King of the Jews, heard this,
it was a threat to his power. In defense,
he turned to the scribes and priests to determine where the Messiah would be
born. He told the magi to go to
Bethlehem, so they could lead Herod to the new king so he could pay
homage. But in reality wanted to harm
him. It’s interesting that the people
far from God were the ones to seek out Jesus, but those close to God wanted to
do him harm. The star directing the Magi
to find the newborn king was a sign that Jesus came for all people.
The
Magi traveled to Bethlehem and were led by the star directly to the place where
Jesus was. The was the divine action of
God seeking out the Magi. When the Magi
encountered Jesus they prostrated in homage before him. Prostrating is an action of humility, by
lying face down on the ground in reverence. There must have been something very
powerful in the presence of Jesus that overcame the Magi to evoke such an
action. These Magi saw an ordinary
little baby with his parents in very humble surroundings, but by faith they were
compelled to worship him as a divine king.
This gift of faith led them to give Jesus their best gifts, gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. After this
encounter they were warned not to return to Herod. Their faith in Jesus opened
the eyes of their heart, and they were lead to go another way to proclaim the
newborn Messiah to the Gentiles.
Our
response to Jesus, can be like the Magi, through our faith in him as our Lord
and Savior. We encounter Jesus each
time we come to Mass. We see ordinary
bread and wine. But, in faith we
believe that Jesus’ Real Presence is contained in the Eucharist. Like the Magi, Jesus seeks us out, to be
with us. He comes in the Eucharist so we
can receive him as food to nourish us spiritually. Like the Magi, we show our reverence bowing to
receive him. In faith we give Jesus our
gifts of praise and thanksgiving after receiving him.
Our
Catholic faith professes that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He truly came in time to become one of us,
and offered his life in sacrifice to give us eternal life. He continues to be with us through his Real
Presence in the Eucharist. Like the
star that guided the Magi, we have a light in every Catholic Church that guides
us to Jesus. The tabernacle light perpetually burns as a sign of Christ’s
presence. We can come and be present with
the Lord at almost any time by seeking out that light and kneeling in humble
adoration.
There
are some people, even many Catholics, who may struggle with faith in Jesus as
our Savior and his Real Presence in the Eucharist. Many
of us have family or friends that may have celebrated Christmas, but really don’t
understand greatest gift: Jesus becoming one of us and redeeming us for Eternal
Life. They may come to Mass only once or
twice a year, but have not developed their faith in Jesus and the gift he has
given us in the Church and Sacraments. If you know of anyone like this, please
consider inviting them grow in their faith by attending the upcoming Bishop
Barron’s series on Mass or the Men’s and Women’s Welcome retreats. Both of these are great opportunities to
develop and strengthen their faith in Jesus.
So
as the Christmas season comes to a conclusion let’s remember to be thankful for
greatest gift we’ve received, the gift of Jesus, and to share that gift with
others to bring them the Light of faith.
