Merry Christmas!
Today we celebrate the Epiphany which means our Lord’s manifestation to the whole world. These kings come to represent the fact that every language and nation has now been called to encounter the Messiah who manifests Himself unto the world. Therefore like these kings who have gone before us we must also come to encounter the Messiah and rejoice with Him. We must thus allow the light of the star to shine upon us and to illumine our heart and soul to behold our Lord.
The light of this star led the magi to this small town and led them to the home which housed our Blessed Lord. This small town of Bethlehem and this little home were not fit for a king such as the one that Herod assumed would threaten his throne. Yet we are instructed concerning the magi that they “were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house.” They were the first of the gentiles to come to acknowledge this great king and thus this star illumined this reality for them.
What they came to believe and profess concerning this child is the same that we must come to believe and profess. For the Lord now manifests Himself for the whole world to see. He reveals Himself to us not only to be a child, but to be God made Flesh. So many looked upon this child and saw Him to be man, but through eyes of faith the magi looked upon Him and knew that He was also God made Flesh. For this reason they gave Him the gift of gold to acknowledge Him as King, they gave him the gift of frankincense to point towards His divinity, and the gift of myrrh to profess His eventual death.
May we too come to this same understanding that the magi professed. May we become “overjoyed” at the thought of this loving Savior who comes to dwell with us out of love. May we realize that to look upon Him is to look upon the Face of God. Thus what a wonderful gift that the Eucharist is. A gift which should cause our heart to grow “overjoyed” for what we receive here is the same Jesus whom the magi came to adore.
