The first reading for Mass today is very beautiful. It fills your heart, just reading the words. Truly these are living, prophetic words. The prophet Isaiah was filled with the Spirit of the Lord when he proclaimed them. It’s not just the words themselves that are so powerful, but the Spirit that permeates each and every word. After reading them, it makes you wonder about the man who wrote them. How did he have the confidence to proclaim these words? How did he know for sure that what he spoke came from God Himself?
The second reading for Mass also takes note of this:
“…the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”
And then we move on to read this absolutely beautiful gospel, the story of the magi seeking baby Jesus, a newborn king. Entire books could be written about just this passage in the bible. It is so beautiful … full of theology, history, prophecy, and the example of the magi who sought baby Jesus. So many angles of thought that you could approach this gospel with ….
However, what permeates this story most profoundly, is the faith of the magi. It is proclaimed in every word.
Long before the magi arrived in Jerusalem, they had been on an extensive journey following the star. What initially sparked their journey? What caused them to believe so strongly that a newborn king would be born and that a star would lead them to him? Did they discern this through prayer? Was it revealed to them in a dream? What caused all three magi to agree to leave their kingdoms in order to travel together, to worship another king who wasn’t even born yet? They were even willing to share the wealth of their kingdoms with him, this unborn king. (Contrast this with Herod who was jealous and wanted to kill him instead!)
The magi’s faith in God is just astounding. Their trust in Him is profound and rock solid. Their faith and trust in God alone moved them from place to place, seeking that which had been revealed to them. There were many dangers on the way, including King Herod, but even then God revealed this danger to the magi in a dream and the magi obeyed the dream. Their faith in God never faltered. The magi were so in tune with their spiritual life, (no doubt through much prayer), that they obeyed these promptings of the Spirit without question.
Can you even possibly begin to imagine their feelings when their long journey was fulfilled by God? When they actually found the real, flesh and blood newborn king? Any doubts they may have had went right out the window! The magi did not hesitate to worship the baby king, and share with him some of the wealth from their own kingdoms. Imagine their humility to worship another king. These great and beautiful souls recognized a power greater than themselves and the testimony of their lives will remain forever firm. We do not know any of their names, but the story of their faith in God has been passed down to every generation throughout the ages. This is the true treasure. Not their gifts of gold, frankincense or myrrh. The faith of the magi will live on forever.
There is so much to take away from the readings for Mass today, but the living testimony of the faith of the magi is what stands out from all other thoughts. We all need to learn from them. They can teach us so much about how to journey through our own lives. How to trust God. How to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Not just listen to the promptings of the Spirit, but discern them, and then prayerfully act on what the Spirit is leading us to do. If it really is God that is leading us to do something, everything will work out in the long run, as long as we continue to trust in Him.
