The Lessons of the Magi

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, Magi from the East arrived in
Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn
king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
(Mt 2:1-2)

Some call them Kings and some call them Wise Men. Tradition tells us there were three, but there are stories about the Fourth Wise Man. In the New American Bible English Translation (above), Matthew calls them “… Magi from the East …” While much of the world celebrates their Feast, the Feast of the Epiphany, on Jan. 6, for many years here in the United States and in other countries, we celebrate it on the Second Sunday after Christmas.

No matter what we may call them or the exact day/date on which we celebrate, we know the story so well. As Matthew tells us,

“… On entering the house, they saw the child
with Mary his mother. They prostrated
themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh …”
(Mt 2: 10-11)

When I was first ordained, a priest friend of mine, who had been ordained a year before me, shared with me the highlights of his homily on the Feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings). I believe he may have heard or read it in a book by a priest who had been our homiletics teacher in the seminary, a wonderful Franciscan priest, Father Roland Faley. As I write these words, I recall that Father Roland passed away six years ago — on the vigil of the Feast of the Epiphany in 2014.

In the past 20 years, I have often gone back to the highlights of that homily on the Feast of the Epiphany and I am now happy to share them with you. The homily spoke of the five “Lessons of the Three Kings (Wise Men),” I would imagine that there are other versions, but here are the “Five Lessons” as I have learned them and continue to try to appreciate and learn from them:

1. “Keep your head up!”

The Wise Men had to “keep their heads up” as they followed the star. It may be that this first lesson speaks especially to those who are in a hurry or who remember the pre-pandemic days of commuting (to Manhattan). As I preached in parishes in Brooklyn and Queens, many parishioners used the subway five days a week. Whether you are in a hurry, commuting, or just having a bad day, we can all be tempted to hang our heads, and possibly only focus on our own problems and worries. In sharing these lessons, I always try to remember and mention that it may be easy and sound great to tell each other, “you should keep your head up,” but, in doing so, there are times when that is very hard to do. “Keeping your head up” can mean “staying positive” and while we believe that our faith and God’s Love give us every reason to do that, there are times when we can only do so by asking Jesus to help us by the love, support and prayers of others. Finally, “Keeping our head up” also means that we will (or have to) see our brothers and sisters who are walking beside us. Again, for those who are familiar with the subway, you may have heard the advice, “keep your head down and, whatever you do, don’t make eye-contact.” Unfortunately, there may be moments when that is the safest and wisest choice. But we can also realize and learn that so often, it is the moments when we are most tempted to keep our heads down and mind our own business, that our sister or brother most needs someone to look them in the eye and look at them with love and compassion.

2. “Follow a Star”

The first two lessons are certainly connected — the Wise Men had to keep their heads up, because they were following a star, but what does it mean for us to follow a star? Where is the Light (pointing and leading us to Jesus) in the darkness of our lives and world? As God created each of us, male and female, in God’s own image and likeness, we know that we are body and soul, heart and mind, body, mind and spirit. Our emotions and feelings are part of who we are and our experience of faith, but, just like love, faith is often not so much a feeling, but a choice. You may have heard the phrase, “Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Those who choose to “follow a star” make a commitment to find and draw near to the “light that shines in the darkness” and, in doing so, they very often bring others along for the ride.

3. “Adore”

“… On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage …” In other words, they adored. Have we lost our sense of the sacred? When I went to and served Eucharistic Adoration (and devotions) when I was in grammar school and an altar server, to be honest, I had little idea of what it was all about, but I knew something very important was happening and that it was supposed to help us get closer to God. In high school and college, I grew in my understanding and appreciation of the gift of the Eucharist and what it meant to adore Jesus, present on the altar, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Whether it is Eucharistic Adoration or some other way of recognizing that God is the Creator and his creatures should adore him, we need to work at recapturing and rekindling the sense of the sacred. The Wise Men teach us to do him homage.

4. “Give gifts” (not only at Christmas)

“… They opened their treasures and offered him gifts …” This may be the most obvious of the lessons, but it does not hurt to be reminded. Especially as a pastor, when I would preach on these lessons, it was truly a privilege for me to be able to say, “I know so many of our parishioners have learned this lesson well, because you are so generous with your time, talent and treasure at Christmas and throughout the year. Now, as Bishop, it is really beyond words for me to try to describe the generosity and gift giving and sharing that I have seen in Paterson throughout these past six months. Thank you!

5. “Go Home by a different route”

“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.”
(Mt 2:12)

I always loved (and had some fun with) ending with this lesson. I sometimes invited families who had driven to church to walk home (if possible), come back and get the car later. What does it mean to go home by a different way (route)? Whenever we come to Jesus (and his Blessed Mother and St. Joseph), especially when we come to him at Mass and encounter him in his Word and Sacrament, there is the opportunity for change or to be changed (healing, forgiveness, a new commitment or beginning, a greater awareness of his love and mercy, conversion, etc.). However, there is also a chance that nothing could happen, same old, same old. I went to Mass, said my prayers, now what? There is a beautiful phrase in our spiritual tradition that tells us we need to cooperate with grace — God wants to change what needs to be changed (in each of us) and he will help us to change, but we need to give him permission, to do our part, to cooperate with grace. Would things be different if, every time we left Mass, we sincerely and attentively asked God in prayer, “what (exactly) do you want me to do differently?” or “How (exactly) do you want me to change?” Could that happen more effectively if we went home by a different route?

Happy Feast of the Epiphany!