The Epiphany of the Lord - the Three Wise Men - the Magi - the Three Kings - today’s celebration near at the end of the Christmas season has many different names. In most places in the Catholic world, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. However, in the United States, we Catholics always celebrate Epiphany on a Sunday, so that more of the faithful can be a part of this celebration. Raquel and I were interviewed by the religion reporter from the Tupelo newspaper about our celebration of Epiphany. He had a lot of questions about it, since this celebration is not recognized in most Protestant churches. Our word “epiphany” comes from a Greek word that means “manifestation.” With the celebration of the Magi’s visit to Jesus, we celebrate the revelation of God in his Son Jesus Christ born in the humble manger in Bethlehem. In the West, the Epiphany of the Lord has been celebrated since the 4th century, so it quite an ancient celebration in the Church. Like many things in the Bible, the gifts that the Magi bring the Christ child have symbolic meaning. Gold, a very valuable metal even in our modern world, symbolizes the kingship of Jesus. Frankincense, an incense that was used in religious ceremonies in the Temple in Jerusalem, represents the priesthood of Jesus. Myrrh, a spice that was used to embalm bodies for burial, foreshadows Christ’s passion, suffering, and his death on the cross. Matthew’s Gospel does not say how many wise men visited Jesus, but the number of three wise men has been traditionally assigned to them corresponding to the three gifts they brought the baby Jesus.
What does it mean when we call them Magi? “Magi” is the Greek word used for them in the Gospel. The term “Magi” could refer to astrologers or magicians or dreamers or star gazers. Since the wise men trace their journey by following a star, the term “Magi” makes sense to us. We could also call them Wise men. The Roman philosopher Cicero referred to them as “wise and learned men from among the Persians.” In fact, the Hebrew word wise men is used in the Old Testament to designate this class of astrological advisors. We often think about them as “Kings,” don’t we? Our Three Kings at mass today wear crowns to identify themselves. Are everyone knows the Christmas carol “We Three Kings.” The Christian author Tertulian from the 2nd century saw the Three Kings as fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah that we hear in our first reading today: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn…and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” So, there is indeed some truth in calling these three visitors to Jesus as Wise Men or Kings or Magi - all of these labels describe some aspect of their mysterious identity.
The most important thing is not the title we give these men who visit the Christ child - what is most important is what this story of the Wise Men tells us. Whether these visitor are seen as coming from the Orient or seen as representing Europe, Africa, and Arabia, the fact that these men came from outside the nation of Israel from a faraway place, recognizing the Christ child as someone special, shows us that Jesus is meaningful beyond the confines of Israel. Jesus is a gift to the whole world. Jesus brings salvation to all races and all cultures and all nations. While these men bring Jesus precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, may we bring our own gifts and treasures today to honor Jesus our Lord as we the Catholic faithful celebrate Epiphany today.
No comments:
Post a Comment