“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 saying, ‘we saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’”
In celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, may the story of the Epiphany be our story as well. Who today are the contemporary magi who come to St. Joseph’s Church seeking to discover the Christ child?
The magi symbolize what is restless in the human spirt seeking for a greater depth of meaning and purpose in life. They left behind what was comfortable and safe and took considerable risk in traveling to another country in search of the Lord. The magi speak to our restless human spirit seeking to discover the spiritual meaning and longing for that which ultimately satisfies us.
Today, the story of the Magi remind us that Emmanuel is still waiting to be discovered in what we might think are the most unlikely places and by the most unlikely people. It is highly improbable that a band of gypsies or a group of Muslims is going to show up at the doors of St. Joseph’s. At the same time, there are serious seekers, contemporary magi, all around us. They are young people who are consciously hungry for a spiritual nourishment that they have not found in our churches and catechisms. They are women, young and old, who feel they have been treated like unwelcome outsiders when they come to the temple to offer their gifts. They are the more than 10 percent of the U.S. population who identify as “former Catholics,” not necessarily because they lack faith, but because they have been injured, feel rejected or believe that the church has so betrayed her vocation that their conscience does not allow them to participate in it. These are the people whose sincere seeking, like that of the Magi, can be a wake-up call to those practicing in the church.
As we begin our new year, today’s liturgy urges us to listen to the seekers who want more than they have found in conventional religion. Their searching reminds us that God is bigger than any ritual or tradition and is always waiting to encounter us anew, somewhere beyond our expectations.
Here at St. Joseph’s instead of just lamenting that our young people are not at Mass Sunday after Sunday, we the parishioners of St. Joseph’s need to ask ourselves how in our liturgies can we provide the spiritual nourishment young people are looking for. Does the way we teach our young people the truths of our faith witness to the merciful, forgiving love of Jesus that is to the heart of the Gospel? We need to listen more attentively to our young people as they describe their spiritual hunger.
For the women of our parish and in our community, are we a Church that welcomes their voice, their talents, their leadership in our parish life? Are the women who are the contemporary magi able to discover the presence of Christ in our parish community? What more needs to be done for women to find a spiritual home here at St. Joseph’s?
What words of welcome do we provide for former Catholics who for one reason or another did not experience the voice of Christ in our parish life? May the seekers in our community who are the contemporary magi discover the Christ child in our parish prayer and in our ministries. What needs to change in our parish life to enable the contemporary magi discover the God they are seeking?
Notice the stark contrast between the Magi and King Herod in the Epiphany Gospel. Herod sees the promised child as a threat. He's afraid the coming baby will crimp his style, will challenge his power and lower his status. The Magi see the promised child as wonderful gift. They've humbled themselves to travel a great distance to a strange culture that speaks a different language, in order to embrace this baby who fulfills God's love.
Herod's selfishness, fueled by his fears leads to his downfall. The Magi's worship of the Christ child leads to the salvation of all the nations. Today more than 2 billion people call themselves Christians, in some way the result of the humility and the seeking spirit of the Magi.
The role of King Herod in the Epiphany story symbolizes for us is that we need to expect opposition in the spiritual journey at times. We see the hostility of King Herod to the notion that he would have a rival to his kingship. Moved by jealousy, he hatched a murderous plot that was foiled by the non-cooperation of the magi.
Before we simply reject the treachery of Herod, we need to acknowledge that there is a Herod within each of us that keeps from following Christ more fully. What are the demons within us that make more self-centered than Christ-centered? How radically do I share with those in need? What keeps me from listening more fully to another’s point of view? Do I make time for God in the way that I live?
Notice well, the magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they departed for their country by another way. Of course, they would return by another route. Their lives have been changed by their encounter with Jesus. May we too with God’s grace have our lives changed by our encounter with Jesus. We cannot go back to our old way of living -- with our fears, our anxieties, our addictions, our grudges, our pettiness. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
The readings for the feast of the Epiphany invite us to begin this new year by asking with whom in today’s Gospel we will decide to identify. Will we choose to settle as a sedentary church, quiet in the face of darkness, contented with the minimal ritual and almsgiving that supposedly fulfill our religious obligations? Or do we want to be more like the Magi, people anxious to be on the move in search of God among us? Isaiah is trying to awaken us to what God holds out as possible for us. Paul tells us that we are to steward this mystery. Matthew holds up the example of the Magi to nudge us out of our cozy corners and into areas where we can encounter Emmanuel, God-with-us, in ever new ways.