Epiphany Sunday always brings the reading of the magi, the wise men from the east in search of the king of kings, the incarnate God.
I have felt it nearly impossible to escape from the sway of the poem of TS Eliot, The Journey of the Magi, every time we reach the feast of Epiphany. The poem narrates the temptations and hardships, the visions and hallucinations the wise man comes across during the journey to find God. What did the magi expect to get in return for making that dangerous journey?
The magi were making no conquest expeditions; they were not kings either. They were just wise men. They were not there to make an alliance. They take the tedious journey with only one purpose, to worship him. True worship. That is what they did when they saw him.
On the way, they had wandered into a palace in search of him. He was not there. We admire in them the willingness to accept the truth that the is king born in a manger. They were in search of truth and would not be satisfied by anything short of that. They were perhaps overwhelmed by the truth of the messiah. He was not in the palace but in a Godforsaken cattle shed! Well, in the Godforsaken place; they were daring to search for God, where ordinarily people would not. They had that courage, and God revealed the truth to them.
While lost in the palace, they were enticed into false worship. Herod wanted them to let him know where the newborn king was so that he could go and worship too. Herod is making an evil intent to kill the child and seeking an easier route of finding him. He does not want to begin his own search to find God. He wants to imitate the routes that others have taken. Herod is also a metaphor for self-seeking worshippers. Worshippers of false images. They are unwilling to let go of the comfort of their securities and want to appear to be worshipping God. Pope Francis says this is not worshipping God butt worshipping oneself. Very often, the false desire for worship is originated from those who worship themselves. At last, the magi reached the presence of the truth and worshipped. At the end of every true search for God is worship, true worship.
The anecdote of the visiting magi is complemented by the story of Artaban, The Other Wise Man. Artaban could not catch up with the caravan of the otherwise men. By the time he reached Bethlehem, he learned that the family had escaped to Egypt for fear of the king seeking to kill the child. So he goes to Egypt and other places in search of the king. 33 years. During the 33 years of his search, he sold his treasures to save a child, a woman, and many others. At last, when he dies, he hears a voice telling him that whenever he helped the needy, he was helping the king himself.
What captivates my mind in this story is how Artaban unwittingly makes an alternate way to find God by selling all his treasures to help the needy. Artaban makes a perfect model for Christians today who are still seeking to find God. Find him in the poor and needy. True worship will begin there.
The magi are metaphors for the journey of faith of everyone seeking for divine vision. It is a pilgrimage. The goal of the seeker is to attain a blissful divine vision. The vision happens to those willing to leave the comfort of home and face the uncertainties on the way. One encounters the demons and angels in one’s inner world on the journey. Before one gains the vision of the divine, one has to tackle them or befriend them. Once the inner resolve is seasoned and the intentions purified, one gets the eyes needed for the divine vision.
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Luke 2:16-21 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Model of Holiness for Christians
Through the Gospel narrated by St. Luke, we can clearly see that when the shepherds learned from the angel of God that our Lord, God, Jesus Christ had been born among men, they hurried to seek the infant Jesus, who brought hope and salvation to the world. Upon finding him, they spread the news of the child through the angel’s discourse. (See: Luke 1:16-17) However, if we carefully observe the Virgin Mary’s response after these events occurred, we will discover that she did not cling to her identity as the Mother of God; instead, she adopted a contemplative attitude. (See: Luke 1:19) This sets a holy and virtuous example for us. In this ever-changing world, we sometimes find ourselves adored by others, even living during flattery and compliments. Whether it’s admiration or fawning, such adulation does not bring us any tangible benefits in this world. Instead, it can foster pride, making us feel as if we are a flawless being. Sometimes, after achieving certain successes, we often attribute these accomplishments solely to our own efforts, forgetting God, especially the prayers offered by the Virgin Mary before Him on our behalf. Therefore, without God’s creation and the intercession of the Virgin Mary before Him, no matter how great our achievements or how high our social status, they cannot earn us eternal rewards when we ultimately face God’s just judgment at the end of our lives. Therefore, we should learn from the Virgin Mary in our lives, learning to carry out God’s will in all things. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us before the Lord, that we may be worthy to receive His grace. Amen.
全属于祢 
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