Talking about the birth of Jesus, besides being depicted by simplicity and poverty, stands out also the exposure of the magi, called the three wise men. They came from the West and the East as seekers of the newborn King, bringing him distinctive, gracious gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. Matthew’s Gospel presented these extraordinary pictures this powerful of the magi’s postures as they did homage to the newborn king, and showing their outpouring generosity in response to God’s revelation. This is a great story at the beginning of this New Year to rely upon as we take our own journey for our personal encounter with Jesus our Lord and Savior.
As part of this reflection today, I would like to mention two important things that truly make the journey of the Magi a memorable experience. First, it is about the magi’s journey itself. The starting point makes a huge deal for them. They saw a star, and they followed it. They have taken the initiative to follow it without knowing what to expect, for example: dirty roads, weather conditions, rough accommodation, poor travel assistance, facing danger, discouragement, political turmoil, and you name it. The journey to Bethlehem, crossing ancient Persia and Babylonia, was not a simple curiosity. It was rather a journey to search for the new child who had been born, the king of the Jews. This journey is a journey of faith. This star is the symbol of faith. Faith is an ideal; it looks like a star. We saw it far distant from us, not accessible, but kept our focus on it until we got some glimpse of it. This journey is the encounter between the ancient and pagan world and the revelation of the divine manifestation of Jesus himself.
Second, that journey of hundreds of miles on a camel was worth it. it was a life-transforming experience not only for the “Magi” but also for the world. It has made a real difference in their lives. Their reaction was uplifting, they do him homage, they prostrate. The verb prostrate appears three times in the Gospel. It expresses the profound attitude of the seeker of God. To prostrate is to be flat on the ground, face down, powerless, disarmed, and vulnerable. The act of prostration itself expresses that one is in the presence of Almighty. Their postures as well as their act of reverence spoke eloquently of the transforming effect of this manifestation of the divine in their lives. As soon as they reached the place, they were at peace. There was no more stress, no more pain, no more tiredness. It was joy and happiness, contemplation and adoration. This genuine life-transforming experience makes them no longer at ease but leads them to hit the road for a mission totally different than the previous one.
Like the magi, we have been invited today to become seekers of God, pilgrims of eternity, dreamers of a new world. Yes, we have been called to take the road and have a specific goal. As we can see, the Magi did not hit the road just by a simple curiosity or just to bring some gifts, but to do Him homage. They did show us what it will take to get our personal experience with Jesus, our Savior. If there is one thing, really one thing, we need to do today is to surrender. Saint Augustine learned through the infant Jesus to surrender to the power of God and let himself be lifted. If you want to rise up, you need to lose something. Today’s feast invites us to take the road, to follow the star, and like the Magi, get a better understanding of the meaning of the journey, which is basically a journey of hope for us and for the world.
