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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2009 /  Jesus is the true star of our life

In the Eastern Church, Epiphany eclipses Christmas as the central celebration of the Incarnation. It focuses on three or four mysteries of the revelation of the Word of God among the People of God: the Nativity of Jesus and the visit of the magi, the baptism of the Lord, and the wedding feast at Cana. It is formally observed as the Twelfth Day of Christmas, on Jan. 6. But the importance of the feast allows it to be celebrated on Sunday in those countries, which do not observe it as a holy day of obligation.

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

This selection comes from the third part of the Book of Isaiah, Trito-Isaiah, chapters 56-66. They were probably written after the return from exile in Babylon. There is no reference to a specific historical event, which would establish a fixed date for the text.

Ephah was the leading tribe of the Midianites. They were located in southern Jordan. Sheba, also called Saba, was in southwest Arabia. Both of these trading partners with Israel dealt in incense, precious gems and gold. Some of these images are reflected in the story of the magi in the Gospel of Matthew, as well as the Christian reflection and expansion of the story.

The themes of light and radiance fill this reading. It is contrasted to the "darkness … and thick clouds." They cannot obscure the light when "the Lord shines." Light accompanied the presence of the Lord in the Old Testament theophanies.

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

There are some things that can only be known by divine revelation. The mysteries are made known to people of faith. There is a context for interpreting revelation. In recent years, biblical scholars of many different religious affiliations have extended the study of biblical texts to their theological contexts, not just their linguistic studies and historical background.

The Greek word, "You have heard," probably relates to the Hebrew sense of hearing. It means more than just being told about something. It has the sense of understand or obey. The newness of what has been revealed through the Spirit is the inclusion of the Gentiles as "copartners in the promise." That was not true in the Old Testament revelation, which was promoted by the Jews. However, Paul attests to the prophets' inclusion of the Gentiles, probably by extension of the promise.

Some of the prophets, such as the Book of Isaiah, have a universalistic tone. But usually Israel has a prominent place in its role to call the other nations to Christ. That is why "it has now been revealed." There is a new understanding of the prophetic texts. The Spirit is the ongoing presence and unfolding of revelation for the growing community of faith.

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

The narrative about the visit of the magi to the infant Jesus does not record how many there were. The richness of the three gifts gave them the designation as "kings." Tradition has even given us their names and what they offered: Caspar/Gaspar (gold), Melchior (myrrh) and Balthazar (frankincense). Renaissance painting has depicted one as a pious old man (Melchoir) and one as a more arrogant young man (Balthazar). In some pictures, each of the magi represented a different civilization and continent. A golden casket in the sanctuary of the Cathedral of Cologne in Germany is revered as their final resting place.

Herod the Great ruled from 37 to 4 B.C. The original dating of Jesus to A.D. 1, since there is no year "zero," was redetermined to be about six years earlier. The evangelist gives Herod the portrayal of Pharaoh, who sought the death of the male Hebrew children just before the Exodus. Jesus and Herod are contrasted. Herod had no royal lineage. But Jesus was born in the city of David (1 Samuel 16:1). He would proclaim "the Gospel of the Kingdom (of God)" (Matthew 4:23).

The magi originally designated a priestly caste of Zoroastrians from Persia. The term was expanded to include astrologers, sages and seers. Certainly, they are Gentiles from outside Israel. They came from lands to which the disciples of Jesus will be sent after His Resurrection. Even as foreigners, they demonstrate a greater uprightness and obedience to God than Herod, the King of Judah. They refused to participate in the trickery of Herod.

The Jews had to be consulted for the knowledge that the Gentiles lacked, but the Gentiles showed greater understanding of what they sought and recognized their goal, while the Jews did not. Herod feigned a willingness to "do Him (the child, Jesus) homage," while the magi "prostrated themselves and did Him homage." Throughout the adult ministry of Jesus, the leaders from Jerusalem will oppose Jesus. Jerusalem will stand for the stubborn Jewish leaders, not all Judahites. One exegete suggests that the contrast in the Gospel of Matthew is between the powerful and the powerless, not between Jews and Gentiles in accepting the teaching of Jesus. Everything was not right and at peace in the world into which Jesus had been born. People were "troubled." In the following passage, children would die. These themes will run throughout the Gospel.

Early Christian writers, e.g., Justin, Irenaeus, Origen and Eusebius, recognized the account of the star as fulfilling the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 about the star of Jacob. Matthew does not use this quotation. He uses a free quotation of Micah 5:1 and 2 Samuel 5:2 (and 1 Chronicles 11:2), which gave a Davidic overtone to the birth of Jesus.

I learned from my father that light is not always a good thing in the darkness – at least not if you are trying to bring a boat into a dock! One night in the summertime, there was rough water on Lake St. Clair when my Dad was trying to bring our boat into our boatwell. It was a tricky and narrow entrance. A helpful member of our family on the shore, someone who was not familiar with boating, shone a bright light on our boat. It blinded my Dad! He shouted for the person to point the light at the entrance to the boatwell. We didn't need the light to see ourselves. We needed to see where we were going. It is the same in completing our journey of life.

If you think that you are the star and want the light of fame and fortune to shine on you, it will blind you to the way out of the turbulence and storms of life. And when the light goes out, since the glory of the world is fickle and fleeting, then you are in real trouble! We follow a greater star that lights the way for us, especially in the dark times of our life.

Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.