The Epiphany 2022

My Dear People, 

Happy New year to everyone. May this year be blessed and fruitful for all.  

Today we think of this feast and the events that surrounded Christ’s birth.  Having strange visitors from a great distance bring honor to a newborn king is indeed unusual. Again, we concentrate on how important this feast is and why these Magi were willing to visit the newborn king. 

The Magi arrived from the land of Judah after following a special star which appeared in the sky and after learning of a newborn king. It is not a matter of relying on the stars for prediction in our lives and in our world, but it is in response to the will of God. God can inspire anyone to respond to His will and point out something special, even though the chosen people have not yet realized it.

 Today we read this event from the Gospel of Matthew. He is the only one who has the event of the Magi visiting Jesus. Because of this action, it was manifested that Jesus is the newborn king. It was prophesied a new king would sit on the throne of David and his line would stand forever.  

When the three Magi arrived in Judea, naturally they went to Jerusalem, the capital, and the seat of the kingdom of Judah. They figured the new king would be born there. At that time Herod was the king and did not have a newborn child. In addition, he was terrified and distraught by the idea of a newborn king. He thought that the people would use this as an occasion to dethrone him. In consulting the prophets, the word was sent to Herod that the newborn king who was prophesied by the prophet Micah, 5:1-2 was to be born in Bethlehem. “And you Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be a ruler in Israel; then it goes on and says: “this ruler will shepherd my people Israel”—an echo of God’s words to David at the beginning of his reign. (2 Sam 5:2). 

The Magi were sent to Bethlehem, the city of David. It was appropriate that the newborn king, who was going to sit at the throne of David, be born in Bethlehem. Not only that, Mary and Joseph, who were from the ancestral lineage of David, had to go to Bethlehem, the city of their ancestral heritage, to register for the census--a second confirmation that Bethlehem was special.   

The Magi’s long journey reaches its climax as they enter the house and see the child with Mary His mother. This reference to Mary and the child in a house in Bethlehem can stand in complete harmony with Luke’s account of the child being laid in a manger. (Luke 2:7). Since first-century peasant homes in Palestine often had the lodging place for persons on one level and animals dwelling with a manger on a lower level.  The house the Magi visited (in Matt 2) might be the same house where Jesus was born. (Luke 2)  Another possibility is that Jesus was born in a cave near Bethlehem and later the holy family moved to a more comfortable dwelling, a house  where the Magi found them. 

The Magi did not simply kneel before Christ; they prostrated themselves and did Him homage. Though prostration before kings was common in the ancient Near East, elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel prostration and giving homage is associated with divine worship. The Gentile Magi, therefore, offered Christ the worship that Herod, the chief priests, and scribes failed to offer. 

The gifts of gold, frankincense (an expensive perfume used for incense in worship), and myrrh (an exotic spice) represent luxurious gifts fit for a king. The gifts also recall prophecies about the nations coming to pay homage to the king of Israel, falling down before him and offering gifts of gold and frankincense (Ps. 72:10-11; Isa 60:1-6). As such, this scene underscores that Jesus is not just king of the Jews (2:2)—he is King of the whole world. 

Yours in Christ,   

Fr. Vincent Clemente

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