On this day, the light of
the world which was manifested to the Israelites alone on Christmas day is
manifested now to the entire world through the visit of Magi. The three wise
men come from a far distant land. We don’t know their exact place of origin. All
that we know about them is that they are astronomers who are involved in
stargazing. True to their adjective – wise – they look for something great and
beyond. They perceive the birth of the king of Jews through a star (Mt 2:2). The
most interesting part of the story is that they embark on a journey to adore
that new born king. They have sensed from their deep knowledge in astronomy and
scriptures that the indication that the star is providing is something great. The
star points toward a child who is born not
in a palace, nor in the family of Herod (who is ruling over the Jews), nor in
an aristocratic family in the Roman Empire but in a simple carpenter’s family.
They even know that the new born king is a divine son. They report to King Herod
that they have come to pay homage to the infant king (Mt 2:2). And indeed they
kneel down at the manger and pay homage to the divine son (Mt 2:11).
On Christmas day we
witnessed the visitation of the light at the silent dark night. On this day the
people who are in search of some divine signs in the sky at night discover the
bright star. Yes, at night they discover the star. They follow the star to see
the divine son. This shows that pagans who are in darkness – without the knowledge
of one true God – are being led to the eternal light with the help of star, the
simple light. In our life too, we experience the presence and action of divine
not when everything is bright and clear but when darkness is thick, in and
through our daily struggles and pains, uncertainties and chaotic moments. The visitation
of God happens in moment of helplessness and abandonment. The first reading highlights
the presence of God in the moments of darkness. It reads; “Though night still
covers the earth and darkness the peoples, above you the Lord now rises and
above you his glory appears” (Is 60:2). People of Israel found redemptive God in
the midst of their horrendous slavery in Egypt. We need to be attentive to bright
star that arise in moments of struggle and pain. The following of that star
would lead us to the proper destiny as it happened in the lives of Israelites
and Magi.
The magi see the new born
king in a manger. The condition and ambience of new born king never becomes a
hindrance for their belief. They firmly resolved to believe that the child in a
carpenter’s family born in a cowshed would definitively become a king of all
nations. They fall prostrate before the child in a cowshed. Can anyone imagine
the scene wise men and kings going to the cowshed and falling to their knees? These
wise men do. They have no shame in doing so because they are after truth and
wisdom. Their search for truth lead them to do a right things despite the
visibility of the contrary. As they have come beyond their nations to adore the
Lord, they are able to perceive what lies beyond the simple manger. It is said
that when one finds God, s/he finds who s/he really is. It is also said that when
one finds a thing that s/he has searched relentlessly, s/he would be animated
by that thing thenceforth. Thus, if we search God truly just like the magi we
would completely be immersed into the insurmountable power of God. We learn
this from the lives of mystics in the Church. Upon discovering God they become
alien to the world. When we are captivated by the truth and mystery of God, the
world and all that it contains does no more gets prominence.
In this whole drama of Epiphany
the one who misses the point very much is King Herod. The interest of the Magi to
offer homage to the new born king of Jews should have made him to realize that
the child is with divine power. The visit of the Magi reveals that the new born
king is going to be the ruler over all the existing kings on the earth. Herod’s
human inclination to hold on to the throne results in a massacre of spotless
infants at Bethlehem (Mt 2:16). The wise men pay attention not only to the star
but also to the hidden voice of God. They return back to their native without
giving any information to King Herod. Just as St. Joseph was receptive to the
voice of God in his dream, these wise men too, pay heed to the inspiration of
God in their dreams (Mt 2:12). The true and virtuous are receptive to God. May
the celebration of Epiphany lead us to greater truth with the help of arising
star in moments of our darkness and gloom.
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