Feast of the Epiphany (Mt. 2:1-12) "Wisdom is the Treasure"
Feast of the Epiphany (Mt. 2:1-12) “Wisdom is the Treasure”
The magi would fit into our modern Christmas celebration quite easily. How do we celebrate Christmas? Usually, it does not take very long. The magi move on and off stage in the Gospel of Matthew rather quickly don’t they. The wisemen are invited to the Christmas celebration by a constellation of stars they see. What do they do then?
The magi go shopping to buy some expensive gifts. We are told that they bring gold. Maybe they went down to the local dealer in precious metals to get a chest full of gold coins or nuggets or jewelry. Maybe they purchased a crown, after all, they were going to see a king.
The Gospel says that they brought frankincense. Frankincense was expensive. The herbs that it was made of came from the Far East. Frankincense was used as a religious sacrifice. To burn it, was to make a precious offering to God. Maybe the frankincense came from India or China. The Chinese didn’t just begin exporting items twenty-five years ago. No, they have been merchants for centuries. Sometimes there were supply chain bottlenecks even back in Biblical times. And these made goods from the foreign lands were very expensive. The myrrh that the magi brought also came from the Far East. Again, myrrh was made up of herbs that were used to preserve and perfume those that had died. The gifts were symbolic, Gold for a King, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for someone who would die.
We can imagine the magi wrapping up their gifts to make them more impressive. And they had to be careful how they were packed. The magi did not send their gifts via Amazon, but they brought them to the Christ child themselves. The magi came to the party, dropped their gifts and went away. Seems like rather a shallow exercise. If Jesus was so important, why didn’t they stay longer? Did they think that they had fulfilled their obligations as guests? Somehow this is kind of disconcerting, like the family we receive a gift from once a year, but never see otherwise. What kind of relationship do we really have with them?
Perhaps, this is why there have been other stories written about the magi throughout the centuries. People have wanted to complete the story. At times we hear legends of a fourth wiseman who comes along later, who receives a more complete understanding of the Christ event. We have other stories of wandering magi that make their way into popular literature.
In the novel Ben-Hur, that was written by Lee Wallace (1880) and was later made into movies we have a rather indirect story of the Christ event. The wiseman we call Balthasar finds his way into the story. Balthasar didn’t just leave his gift with the child Jesus and then go back home. He did not forget his journey. But thirty years later he comes back to Jerusalem to find the child who was now a man. He wants to see what became of Jesus. In Ben-Hur, Balthasar does find Jesus the mature man. He becomes a disciple, taking in Jesus’ teaching. He shadows Jesus. He pushes Judah Ben Hur, the main character in the novel, to accept Christianity.
Balthasar is a truly wise man in that he seeks to understand the word made flesh, the very wisdom of God who has become incarnate. In the end, he receives a gift that is more precious than anything that he had brought to infant Jesus. Balthasar receives the gift of a new religious faith.
As we draw to the end of the Christmas celebration, we can ask how wise we are. Doesn’t it seem like most of the world celebrates Christmas. Gifts are given. Songs are sung. Often Jesus is hardly talked about. After the expected customs are observed people move back into the regular routine. Conversion is not the goal. How wise is that?
Epiphany means revelation. But it doesn’t mean a one-time revelation. What it implies is an ongoing revelation. If we understand Christmas, we hunger to understand the mystery of the Incarnation better each day. The journey doesn’t end until our greatest desire is to live like Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
- What were my priorities for the Christmas Season? Did they include spiritual growth.
- Do I need conversion in my life? In what areas?
Happy New Year! I would once again like to thank all those who sent gifts and cards my way. I try to thank everyone, but with the rush of the season things can get a little confusing. I hope you understand.
I would like to thank the Altar and Rosary Society for raising money to buy new vestments. So far, we have bought a new book of the Gospels and a Sunday lectionary. These were getting pretty tattered. We have also bought a funeral pall and a white vestment to match. We will be buying other liturgical items to replace those that are old and worn. I appreciate all those who have donated funds for this.
I would like to express my appreciation to those who helped decorate the church and those who were musicians during the Christmas celebrations. Other ministers also helped and sacrificed to be here. We had several liturgical ministers who were either exposed to COVID or who became ill themselves. They had to cancel. This made it challenging for all involved. We keep adapting as we go along. The weather over this last weekend did not help the situation.
Our online option for Masses still seems to be an important ministry. I thank all those who keep this service running especially Bill Peiffer. A lot of parishes have stopped providing these Masses. It seems we still have a lot of people viewing these Masses. With the uncertainty that surrounds us I would say we need to continue to livestream for the foreseeable future.
Please be patient as our parish staff continues to try to serve you to the best of our ability. Things are very tricky, but we are doing our best.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark