Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 8, 2012 - The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord - ABC [This feast was traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6; in the USA it is now on the Sunday after Jan. 1]
[Isa 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matt 2:1-12]When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."
It is possible to attend an event and become so absorbed in the richness of the people attending, or the food, or the costumes, etc., that one can forget what the event was all about! The name of this feast is THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD, but the figures of the magi are very likely to be the ones who command our attention. The Gospel of Matthew has an overall concern with the response to Jesus' message, but we can get caught up in gold, frankincense and myrrh! As scripture scholars point out to us, the "infancy narratives" in the gospels of Matthew and Luke are "mini-gospels," and the story of the magi is no exception.
The contrast in the attitude of Herod and that of the Magi is the point of the story. How do they respond to the "revelation" of the Messiah? Herod and "all Jerusalem" are disturbed and fearful! The Gentile magi come to a knowledge of the Messiah through natural phenomena - the star - which leads them to seek the Messiah! The major theme of Matthew that Jesus is accepted by non-Jews and rejected by his own people is thus introduced in this story.
Christian tradition has found echos of Isaiah (see the first scripture for today) and Moses (cf. Numbers 23 and 24) in the story. Tradition has decided there were only three magi and has even given them names! I think the real meaning for today is found in another line in today's gospel where we are told when the magi found the place where the infant Jesus was, they were "overjoyed at seeing the star!" We know how Herod and the magi reacted. What is our own response? Have we put it all behind us to deal with 2012? AMEN