The Solemnity of the Epiphany is one of the oldest liturgical celebrations of the Church, possibly even older than the observance of Christmas. It’s message is that in Jesus all people have been saved from the destruction of sin.There are three moments the ancient liturgies referred to as epiphanies or manifestations of the Lord: the homage of the magi, the Baptism of the Lord, and the changing of water into wine at Cana. The Eastern and Orthodox Churches combine all three events in one celebration. The Roman Catholic Church separates the three and zeros in on the worship of the magi for today’s feast.
To guide our reflection on the Epiphany, I’d like to offer a quote from Blaise Pascal. He was a seventeenth century scientist and philosopher who, among other things, invented a primitive calculating machine that became the forerunner for the modern computer. Those of us who feel lost around computers and smartphones or curse the confusion technology brings can try to forgive Pascal for that. One of the good things he left us was this quote:
"There are only three types of people; those who have found God and serve him; those who have not found God and seek him, and those who live, not seeking or finding him. The first are rational and happy; the second unhappy and rational, and the third foolish and unhappy.”
We see those three types represented in our readings at Christmas time. Among the foolish and unhappy is King Herod. He pretends to seek God, but his real concern is to defend his power and pleasure at any cost. He was far from happy. Tortured by suspicions, he murdered scores of innocent babies after the visit from the Magi. He also wiped out members of his own family, including his wife and two sons, who he was convinced, were plotting against him. This caused the Emperor Augustus to remark, “I would rather be Herod's pig than his son." Herod, in an extreme way, represents the class of people who neither seek nor find God.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who have found God and serve him. Two obvious examples are St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. We can also include the shepherds in that happy group.
In the middle are the Magi. They represent all honest seekers of truth and goodness found ultimately in God. From the Greek "magoi" we get our English word "magic" or "magician." They were not illusionists like modern magicians, but they studied the heavens and tried to figure out the relationship between the stars and what is happening on earth. The Magi are also called "Wise Men" because they followed the celestials signs that led them to Christ.
We do not know what those signs were. There is a fascinating documentary called “The Star of Bethlehem”. You can actually watch the whole thing on YouTube. The hour-long film recreates the heavens at the time of Christ’s birth and offers some compelling ideas of what those signs would have looked like to the Magi, be that a comet, an alignment of planets or something along those lines. Whatever it was, it led the Magi to Jerusalem, then to Bethlehem. When they arrived at the dwelling of Joseph and Mary, they stopped being seekers and now it was time for adoration. They worshipped the child and acknowledged him as God. And they gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which honored Jesus' kingship, divinity, and priesthood.
One last thought on the Magi’s search for the messiah; they ultimately found him, not in the royal city of Jerusalem, not in a kingly palace, or the sanctuary of the temple. They found him in the little town of Bethlehem in the most ordinary of circumstances. The same will be true for us most days. We have to seek Jesus every day of our lives. Finding the Lord and the happiness he offers is not a one-time event; it is a mindset, a way of life. More often than not, we will encounter him in the mundane details of living out our vocation, in our homes, at work, and interacting with the people God places in our life. We should never give up on finding God! We should not grow weary of looking for him even though at times he may feel far away or hidden from our sight! We can only imagine there had to be moments where the Magi felt the same as they journeyed slowly towards Bethlehem, yet they never gave up or stopped looking.
The Magi serve as an inspiration and example on how we can seek the Lord and serve him. We have confidence that all who honestly look for God will find him. So we ask the help of the Magi, Mary, Joseph and all the saints for the grace and determination to seek God always and as we find him, to serve him so we can experience the happiness and peace that Jesus longs to give us.
