The visit of the Magi

Today is the Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany or its more popular title “The Three Kings,” this is why the title of our gospel reading for today is The Visit of the Magi. You can read it in your Bibles in Matt.2:1-12.

“1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his Star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Assembling all the Chief Priests and the Scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet; 6 ‘And you Bethlehem, land of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’  7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the Star’s appearance. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” 9 After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the Star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

10 They were overjoyed at seeing the Star, 11 and 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”

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    The Feast of the Three Kings was the signal for the end of the Christmas season. But when I was a child, it was one more happy moment as my mother made sure that she would give small gifts either under our pillow or our beds. Eventually, we celebrated Three Kings at the Casino Español, which they still do until this time.

The arrival of the Messiah was prophesied by the prophets from Moses to Isaiah and finally by John the Baptist. So whoever must have been reading the Torah or the Old Testament, knew that the Messiah was coming.  As we learned in the earlier gospels, when the baby Jesus was born, the choir of angels appeared and sang their Halleluiahs. An angel also appeared to the shepherds nearby and told them about the wonderful news of a newborn Holy Child and the shepherds went to pay homage to this beautiful child. Even the animals inside the stables knelt down to worship the baby Jesus.

Who were the Magi? Where they really kings? There are just so many things written that it is difficult to believe one from the other. But in those ancient times, anyone who had a higher knowledge than the rest of the population was considered rulers or kings. What is known about the Magi is that, they practiced alchemy, astrology and other esoteric thoughts of the time. What they did was considered by many as “magic.” This is perhaps why they were called the Magi or the Three Wise Men.

They were called by their other name as Wise Men because they were astrologers and saw the rising star and followed it to the newborn babe. Ancient writers believed that they were kings because they did not belong to Judea, but some faraway land. Only kings could mount a caravan to follow their dream or their “star” from foreign lands so far away from Palestine.

And when they finally found the little Jesus with his mother Mary… they prostrated themselves on the ground and did him homage and gifted the little Jesus with riches only kings can give. Of course that King Herod received them in his palace also gives us an idea that King Herod did respect them… as his peer. .

But what really is the message of the Magi? Firstly, you have to understand that in ancient times… women and children where considered as a none entity. They had no rights… no status in society. Yet, King Herod was scared of the birth of the Messiah who could replace him. This is why he ordered all children below two years of age massacred in Bethlehem.

This is a sharp contrast to the Magi who humbled themselves before the Holy Child and prostrated themselves on the ground to pay homage to the little Jesus. When our Lord Jesus grows up to be in his Father’s business, he founded the Catholic Church and taught us about the proper Christian way of life… humility, love of one another and above all the poor… the forgiveness of sins… and the greatest amongst them… to love one’s enemies. For us in Cebu, while the Christmas season ends with the visit of the Magi, it leads us to the celebration of the Sinulog… and our devotion to the Sto. Niño, the Holy Child Jesus that has protected Cebu for centuries.

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