The Epiphany of the Lord

Despite the fact that most of us are pretty much checked-out on anything to do with Christmas—perhaps dreading a return to school or work—there are many children throughout the world, who are still geeked-up about tonight’s/today’s visit from the three Kings. When I’ve been in Mexico for this feast, we were told to put our shoes by the fireplace the night before, and sure enough, los tres reyes magos brought some little gifts (a bottle of Rompope one year!). I spoke with one of our parishioners from Puerto Rico, who told me that when he was a child, the night before the Kings were to come visit, he and his dad would go outside and gather grass from the yard. They’d put it in a small box and left it for the camels that carried these Kings.

The titles or descriptors that we use for these mysterious figures—Wise Men, Kings, Magi—all speak to some aspect of our understanding of them. The Gospel of St. Matthew however specifically refers to them as Magi. Matthew doesn’t tell us how many there were at the manger scene. Early tradition believed there were twelve, but eventually it was deduced that there were three, because of gifts given to the child Jesus—three gifts, therefore, three Magi. Later medieval accounts filled in the details about these men, regarded as representatives of all the nations: One named Melchior represented the Semitic peoples and was old, gray-haired and had a long beard. Another named Gaspar represented the other white races, was young and beardless. The third, Balthasar, represented the black races and had a small beard. I realize that’s not a very complete representation of the world’s ethnic groups or races.

While there are a many curious aspects worthy of pondering regarding their encounter with the baby Jesus, today I ask us to consider two concrete details, and what they perhaps call us to.

The first is regarding the gifts they brought. To be clear, I’m not suggesting for a moment that gold, frankincense and myrrh were the ancient equivalent of time, talent and treasure. This is a financially generous parish. But what about your time and talent? Like most parishes there are about 10% of the people who do about 90% of the work. There are some who put tremendous energy and time into Christian service, and if it weren’t for them, the parish’s work would not get done. There are some who have been doing it for years and years, pleading for others to help them. And there are some who have never been formally involved in much of anything—fearful of making a commitment, or perhaps just apathetic.

So, I ask: What are the gifts that God has given to you to bring to the Lord? Inquire, seek out the groups and ministries that need help. If many of us contribute, it makes for light work. Please do your part.

The second detail I ask us to consider is regarding the posture of the Magi before the newborn king. The star directed them to the house where the child was with his mother. It’s worth noting that these men weren’t Jews, or living in anticipation of a Messiah, yet they prostrated themselves and did him homage. And though no length of time is mentioned, I imagine it was more than just a perfunctory gesture. I imagine that they gazed in awe at the baby held by his mother—a stillness and silence seizing the extended period, as though for the Magi, the earth stopped spinning in that moment.

For us who are so busy with life that we can’t stop to rest in God for prayer—just to be reminded of how much we are loved, to express our gratitude, to acknowledge how we need his help…for us who are perhaps so prideful and worldly that we’ve lost our sense of humble reverence—the response of the Magi is a reminder to open our eyes and our hearts, to recognize what’s before us, even here as we worship—to bear in mind in whose presence we are, to be present to him and to do him homage. You are (I am) not God—but he is. And everything we have that we can count as blessing and cause for gratitude, came through him.

May the example of the Magi serve to help us to seek out time for quiet stillness with him. That we might bring him our gifts, all that we are, that we might give him fitting homage, even in this very Mass, as we encounter from this altar, the very one the Magi traveled so far to see. Let us humbly adore him, Christ the Lord.