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Feast
of the Epiphany, Cycle
C
Terravuova Hermitage
January 6, 2013
The Story of the 3 Magi As Our Story
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
A Star
I’d
like to suggest that each of us has some star in our life. Each of us has
something leading us from within ourselves or drawing us from outside ourselves
to some goal.
Today’s
gospel passage tells about the magi or wise men from the East following their
star.
The
star they follow is leading them directly to the newborn Christ. The question I’d
pose for us today on the Feast of the Epiphany is: What star are we following?
Perhaps
it is the star of getting as close to Christ as possible as we age and realize
that our time for going home to God is getting closer.
Or
maybe it is the star of a college student pursuing her dream of becoming a
physical
therapist.
So
what is our star? And, like the star that the magi are following, will our star
lead us to God or in some way give glory to God?
Journey
The
magi are clearly on a journey.
The
passage says that they come from the East, maybe present-day Iran or Iraq, and arrive
in Jerusalem. They have left the comfort of home and have undertaken a journey
to see the newborn king.
A good
way for all of us to understand our lives is as a journey. And a journey makes
some demands on us.
It may
mean that a young man and woman take the risk of commitment to one another in
marriage or It may demand that I risk retirement not knowing whether I’ll have
enough to live the lifestyle I’m accustomed to or the risk of having elective
surgery or moving out of our family home into a retirement community.
Seeing
our lives as a journey is challenging, but also life-giving. So the question becomes:
What journey am I on right now?
Hurdles
The
magi are wise enough to detect a hurdle of their journey. Their hurdle is King
Herod.
Herod
pretends to be interested in this young child, but the magi sense that in truth
Herod feels threatened and will do violence to the one to whom the star is
leading.
In a
similar way, there will be hurdles for us as we journey and follow our star.
Perhaps
comforts and pleasures and the easy life that lure will distract us off the
journey and leads us to waste our talents and opportunities.
Or perhaps
someone will discourage us from following the star that seems right for us. The
question here is: What hurdles can we identify for ourselves?
Giving
The
gospel tells us that the magi give gifts to the newborn Christ.
Perhaps
this is a good test of the star we are following or the journey we are on, that
is, does our journey lead us to be more giving?
So, if
we are consciously trying to follow the way of the Lord, do we give to God’s
work on this earth? Besides finances, do we give something of our time or
talent?
It
could be kind deeds for elderly neighbors or helping out in our parish. Here
the question becomes: What are we giving to God on our journey?
Change
Finally,
the gospel tells us that the magi had to their change plans.
After
seeing the child, they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, but to
return home by another route. The insight here is that seeing God more and more
fully and getting closer with Jesus will also change us.
In
fact, remaining unchanged is not necessarily a virtue. Change and growth
seem
to be what the star and journey are all about.
Maybe
our journey leads us to see things from the perspective of others first,
instead
of just being close-minded or judging others as wrong. The question here is:
How
are our star and our journey calling us to change?
Conclusion
The
deeper story under the charming story of the 3 magi can really be our story.
The
star, the journey, the hurdles, the giving, and the change – all these elements
in the Christmas story can reflect our own human experience.
And it
that sense it can be our story.
