Today’s feast of Epiphany is meant to speak to our minds and hearts in a variety of ways. It speaks of the power of the stars in the sky to capture our attention. It speaks of how God worked through the guidance of one particular star to reveal Jesus as both Messiah and Savior to the world. It speaks of how the Magi who by means of a miracle or the assistance of God’s grace were able to recognize, against the backdrop of the myriad of the other stars in the sky, the appearance of a new star. And as our Gospel reading for today tells us, the Magi seem to have understood the appearance of this new star as a sign that a new and great king had been born. They set out on a long and arduous journey, bearing gifts, to go and pay this new born king homage.
When the Magi set out on their journey, led by the light of a star, they probably never expected that the new born king they were coming to pay homage to was the true Light of the World. The long promised Messiah and Savior who had come to dispel the darkness of sin and evil in the world and open the way to salvation. It also seems easy to surmise that the Magi probably felt surprised upon finding the new born king of the Jews, whom they had traveled many miles to pay homage to, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Despite this fact the Magi did what they had come to do as they prostrated themselves before the infant Jesus, did him homage, and then presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After their encounter with the child Jesus, the Magi then departed for their country by means of a different route with their lives most likely forever changed.
The way that the Magi were led to the infant Jesus reaffirms for us the reality that God works in wonderful and surprising ways to bring about our salvation. This is why it is crucial for us to have a daily routine of prayer, so that even amidst the busyness of life we are setting aside time to truly open ourselves to God, to his grace, and to the new and perhaps surprising ways God wants to bring Christ’s light and love to others. The pilgrim journey that the Magi made to pay homage to Jesus reminds us similarly that each of us are pilgrims on a journey striving to grow in our knowledge and love for the Lord, Jesus, so that we might one day reach our true home which is heaven. The good news is that we do not walk our pilgrim journey of faith alone. Rather, we have the teachings of Jesus in Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Church, the sacraments, the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, the prayers and support of one another, so we may live more faithfully as a disciple of Jesus and keep our feet firmly planted on the path that leads to eternal life in heaven.
Finally, the way the Magi humbly prostrated themselves before the child Jesus and presented him with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, reminds us that each and every day we should prostrate ourselves before the Lord and offer him the greatest gift we can give him, that of our lives. And then after doing this with hearts grateful for the new life and promise of salvation we have received in and through Christ, we are then to go forward offering all that we have and are in love and service to God and our neighbor. If we do these things we will truly lead lives which will help lead others to Jesus, so they too may know the joy, peace, and salvation we have found in him.