It’s about God. We all want to be happy, to live in peace, to have a loving heart, to live a meaningful life, to make this world a little better for having been here, to live life to the full. The instinct of faith has brought us to Church this day because we trust that it is in knowing God, seeing God, meeting God these lofty hopes can happen. The Wise Men from the East, the Magi, the Three Kings had their desires fulfilled and saw the face of God in the new born, Jesus. So today’s feast gives us some very practical lessons on how we might do so too. But first notice that the magi were not the ones you would have expected to meet the new born king of the Jews. They were foreigners, they were strangers, they were even unbelievers. That tells us that every single one of us – no matter our race, no matter our language, no matter our culture, no matter what we have done, no matter what has been done to us – has the opportunity to see Jesus for ourselves. The story of the magi shows what we need to do in order to see Jesus as they did.
First, the magi were willing to watch and wait in the darkness. The only way to see a star is to wait in the dark. Although there is better lighting inside the house, it’s only by going out into the darkness that you’ll ever see a star. You can be sure that the star wasn’t there the first time the magi looked for it. Because they watched and waited in the dark, day after day, month after month, they saw the star at its rising. Church, if we want to see Jesus we too must be willing to watch and wait in the darkness. We’ve all been to that dark place. We go to God in prayer for direction, for guidance, for consolation, for enlightenment. Often, the experience of prayer is not all that consoling but one of entering into the darkness. God always comes on time – but it might not be on my time. That is why fidelity in prayer is so important. Most days our prayer is watching and waiting. Unless we are available to the Lord in prayer every day, we won’t be there when the star rises, when the enlightenment comes. If we want to see Jesus, we must enter into the darkness.
Second, the magi knew enough to recognize the star at its rising. There were probably plenty of people in the east who saw the star and said to themselves, “I wonder what that is,” and then went about their business. But the magi had studied, had learned to recognize the significance of things, so they knew what the star meant. Because they had prepared themselves, the saw the star for what it was. Church, if we want to see Jesus we must study as well. By learning about the Bible and the teachings of the Church we become capable of recognizing the face of Jesus in the different ways he is manifest in our lives. Only by doing our own work by coming to church and reading the scriptures and seeking wisdom do we have the insight to recognize the signs of God’s presence.
Of course, for the magi to see the newborn king of the Jews they had to leave their normal way of living behind and go out of their way in seeking him. We’ll never know how many other magi from the East might have observed the star and understood its significance but never saw Jesus. Why? Because they didn’t want to leave their accustomed way of life. They liked hanging out, watching TV, staying in their comfort zone. King Herod was like that. In the story as St. Matthew tells it, Herod had some important tweets to send out so he commissioned the magi to “go and search diligently for the child.” By staying home, he missed his chance to see the presence of God in the world. But “we three kings” of song and story were willing to go out of their way, to leave behind the easy and the familiar in order to see Jesus. Church, we too can get stuck in our customary way of acting. We might not be doing anything wrong but are we acting in ways that move us closer to Jesus? Jesus won’t appear as we’re nodding off in the easy chair. We must make the effort of seeking him in order to find him.
The other thing to notice about the magi is that they found companions for the journey. No doubt many of their friends and family thought they were a bit kooky. “Why are you worried about all the God stuff? Chillax. Why don’t you stay home, have a beer and watch the ball game.” So they needed others around them who understood what they were about. Probably one wise man wouldn’t have made it. But three wise men could support each other and encourage each other in their quest. Church, we too need companions on our journey of faith. In a world filled with contrary voices, it is important to gather in prayer and fellowship with others who have responded to the voice of God in their lives. We’re used to talking about “peer pressure” as a negative thing – our peers urging us to make bad choices. But there is such a thing as positive peer pressure – having people who urge us to holiness, who urge us to grace, who urge us to goodness, who urge us to sanctity. It is important to have people we can pray with, groups we can share our faith with, a church which gives us a sense of belonging. Alone we might not make it, but together we will come to see Jesus.
The magi also demonstrate how important it is not to become discouraged. Can you imagine how they must have felt when they could no longer see the star which had started them on their journey? However, they did not at that point throw up their hands and go home. Instead they found a new way of looking for the new-born king of the Jews. They went to Jerusalem, they consulted with King Herod, they asked the chief priests and scribes. Instead of giving up when the going got rough, they got going. Because they persevered, they did get to see Jesus. Church, we too must hang in there with God. Things are not going to be easy or direct. There will be many a twist and turn as we strive to discern God’s will. So we must remember that when God closes a door, a window is always opened. To follow the way of God in all things we must remain faithful. Then will our hopes be proved true.
Church, you have no doubt seen the bumper sticker: “Wise men still seek him.” (The wise women do too!) As the story of those first magi illustrates, to seek Jesus requires constant prayer, requires study, requires effort, requires a fellowship, requires fidelity. But the promise of the wise men is that if we follow the star which is our destiny in the divine plan, we will be blessed and we will see the face of God and live.
