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| Botticelli: Adoration of the Magi |
Today we celebrate the great
feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany is a Greek word which means
manifestation or appearance.
Traditionally, the story of the "magi from the east" has been
seen as a sign of the manifestation of the Lord to all nations.
Today's first reading from
the Prophet Isaiah with its mention of caravans of camels and dromedaries
bearing gold and frankincense has from the earliest days of the Church been
associated with the story of the Three Kings or Wise Men. Today's gospel
account from St. Matthew only tells us that "magi from the east"
followed the star "to the place where the child was." It doesn't say
that there were three of them, or that they were kings. But tradition and art have added the
familiar features to the story.
We have three kings probably
because of the three gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--which are associated
with royalty. In art one of the Kings is usually portrayed as an old man,
another is middle aged, while the third is young and beardless. They symbolize
all the ages of mankind. Tradition called them wise men because the word magi
came to mean "magician", or one familiar with the secrets and
mysteries of nature. It is common to think of them as astronomers or
astrologers because of the famous star that they followed to Bethlehem.
Although legends have
embellished the story of the Magi, there is an historical core to their story.
There were, after all, "magi" in the East. The members of the ruling
priestly class of the Persian empire to the east of Palestine had for centuries
been called "magi." They would have been familiar with the Hebrew
scriptures and prophecies because so many Jews had emigrated to Persia in the
centuries before Christ. Their journey to Bethlehem would have been over a
thousand miles but it would have followed established and frequently traveled
trade routes.
The reaction of King Herod to
their news certainly fits what history has told us about that cruel despot. In
those days it was common for rulers to kill anyone who might be a potential
threat to their crown. Herod murdered his favorite wife--he had ten--and five
of his own sons when he suspected that they were plotting against him. The
slaughter of the Innocents which St. Matthew describes a little later in this
chapter is certainly in line with Herod's character.
What is the importance of the
visit of the Magi? Why is the Feast of the Epiphany one of the greatest in the
Church's calendar?
We know that after the
Resurrection of our Lord the first converts to Christianity, even the Apostles
themselves, had difficulty in understanding that the mission of our Lord was
not just to the Jews. There was a great debate in the early Church where some
argued that Gentiles had to convert to Judaism before they could be Christian.
In St. Paul's epistles we see that this issue centered around the question of
circumcision, that particular rite which signified one's membership in the
nation of Israel.
In fact the very first
Council of the Church was held at Jerusalem precisely to discuss this very
issue. There St. Paul, inspired by his own vision of the Lord, argued that the
message of Christ was for all mankind. As he says in today's reading from the
Letter to the Ephesians,
it
has now been revealed
to
His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that
the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and
copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus...
For Paul the Messiah promised
to the Jews was to be in Isaiah's words a light to all nations. We will see
next week that St. Peter, as observant a Jew as St. Paul, will have his own
vision in which he sees that what God has created no man can call unclean.
Perhaps it is only after the question had been decided that the early
Christians began to reexamine the words and life of Jesus for new meaning.
He came to call sinners. He
cured the Roman centurion's servant. The Sermon on the Mount did not mention
race, creed, or color. He praised the Good Samaritan and insisted that the
foreigner was more a neighbor to the beaten Jewish traveler than his countrymen
who passed him by on the road to Jericho.
They even discovered an
incident at the very beginning of our Lord's earthly life which indicated that
He had come as a light to all the nations. The "Magi" had come from
the East to bring Him gifts and do Him homage. On the other hand, the despised
ruler of the Jews had only sought to put Him to death. Apparently, Herod and
his advisers couldn't even see the star that led the "Magi" to the
child.
The Christmas season comes to
an end with Epiphany. The twelve days of Christmas are completed. Next week, we
will begin to follow Jesus as He begins His public life. We will have a whole
year to find Him on His way to Jerusalem. A few years ago I found a wonderful
Christmas card which said simply,
Wise
men still seek Him.
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| Giorgione: Three Wise Men on First Seeing the Star |
Reading 1. Isaiah 60: 1-6
Reading II. Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
Gospel. Matthew 2: 1-12 (magi from the east).
