[The] Magi prefigure all those Gentiles who would later believe in Jesus. What does this mean for us today? Well, all of us would obviously agree that the message of Jesus is for everyone. There’s probably no one in this church today who, if someone asked them sincerely about Jesus, would say, “Well, Jesus is not for you!”
By the same token, we are also invited ask ourselves whether we unconsciously believe that Jesus is more for some people than for others. Is Jesus mainly for people like us? Which people are we subtly privileging in our faith community? Who is more welcome at the Table of the Lord? Or who is less welcome at the Table?
To put it another way, who is not as readily, or willingly, or joyfully welcomed? The poor? The person on the other side of the political aisle? The person against whom you’ve held a grudge? The divorced and remarried? The LGBT person? The person you feel is not a “good Catholic”?
In Luke’s Gospel, the first people who receive the news of Jesus’s birth are the shepherds. They were certainly at the time considered as among the lowest esteemed people. On the literal outskirts of the city. In Matthew’s Gospel, the first to receive the news are the Gentiles, the non-Jews. So from the beginning, the Good News is proclaimed to the most unlikely people. What unlikely people are we barring from our community?
Image source: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2022/12/20/christmas-reflections-from-the-theos-team-2022
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We should renew our desire to look for Christ
with the same determination of the wise men.
Whatever it takes!
--Archbishop José H. Gómez
The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek words meaning “intense appearance.” It is something that not only gets our attention but also reveals something of enormous significance. For the wise men, of course, it was first the star; but the real epiphany was the baby King. We should be attentive in a similar way to these moments of breakthrough that speak to us of God – and we should respond.
--Bishop Robert Barron
Image source: Northern Lights / Aurora borealis above Iceland, https://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html
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Wise men still seek him…
--Dr. Robert Jeffress
The Magi are filled with longing for the infinite, and so they gaze at the stars of the evening sky. They do not pass their lives staring at their feet, self-absorbed, confined by earthly horizons, plodding ahead in resignation or lamentation. They lift their heads high and await the light that can illumine the meaning of their lives, the salvation that dawns from on high. They then see a star, brighter than all others, which fascinates them and makes them set out on a journey.
Here we see the key to discovering the real meaning of our lives: if we remain closed in the narrow confines of earthly things, if we waste away, heads bowed, hostages of our failures and our regrets; if we thirst for wealth and worldly comforts – which are here today and are gone tomorrow – rather than becoming seekers of life and love, our life slowly loses its light. The Magi, who are still foreigners and have not yet encountered Jesus, teach us to fix our sight on high, to lift our eyes to the heavens, to the hills, from which our help will come, for our help is from the Lord.
--Pope Francis
Image source: V. Wieringa, O Come Let Us Adore Him, https://farmhouseschoolhouse.com/tag/advent-2/
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Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you…
Who can be saved?
When Isaiah prophesies about the return of the people of Israel from exile in Babylon, God promises future prosperity, with Jerusalem as the focal point of the known world: Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance… They all gather and come to you… Indeed, Isaiah says, many will come from all the corners of the known world to pay homage to the God of Israel: Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. God, whose power is over all peoples, is himself is the light that shines upon Jerusalem. A similar theme echoes in Psalm 72, written to foreground the Israelite king, the representative of God on earth: All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him. All the world is thus called to worship the God of Israel. But can all be saved?
Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus’ coming was for all; salvation is universal. The magi from the east demonstrate that Gentiles are coming to faith without the traditions the Jewish people had. The Jewish people had dealing with God and a history of prophecy predicting the coming of a messiah; the Gentile kings come with pure faith and no doubts in order to offer gifts – treasures, including gold, frankincense and myrrh – to show the depth of their hope. Gentiles are thus to come to understand that there is a place for them in God’s kingdom – salvation is indeed for all – while the Jewish Christians are told that they must make room for all comers, for Jesus died for all humankind.
God desires to gather all of his creatures into his kingdom. It is the role of every baptized person, Paul tells the Ephesians, as stewards of God’s grace, to share that grace with all. We too are thus called to be caretakers of the grace we received through baptism, welcoming all into the light that is the Lord!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
Mary stands at the crucial point of human history
and especially at the crucial point
of the history of woman;
in her, motherhood was transfigured
and physical maternity surmounted.
--St. Edith Stein
The oldest known hymn dedicated to Mary was found on a papyrus dating back to 250 AD and was clearly already being used in liturgies of the time.
We fly to thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God
Despise not our petitions in times of necessity,
But deliver us always from all dangers,
glorious and blessed virgin.
--Gregorian Chant,
Sub Tuum Praesidium
You can listen to the hymn by clicking on the video below:
Image source: Andrea Mantegna, Madonna and Sleeping Child, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3842501#/media/File:Andrea_Mantegna_108.jpg
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Prayer source: St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata used this prayer whenever she felt distressed during the day; she believed it never failed her.
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