The Magi followed the Star that led them to the Messiah

The Epiphany of the Lord
Gospel Mt 2:1-12
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.”
When 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 Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come to a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
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.”
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.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
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.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

The Magi followed the Star and found the Messiah.

Happy New Year and Happy Feast of the Epiphany. Let’s be grateful that we have another year to remain thankful, hopeful, and ready for though this year could be truly uncertain, we believe every New year is a gift from God who is our Emmanuel.
There was once a holy monk who lived in Egypt. One day a young man came to visit him. The young man asked: “Oh, holy man, I want to know to find God.” The monk was muscular and burly. He said: “Do you really want to find God?” The young man answered: “Oh, but I do.” So, the monk took the young man down to the river. Suddenly, the monk grabbed the young man by the neck and held his head underwater. At first, the young man thought the monk was giving him a special baptism. But when after one minute the monk didn’t let go, the young man began struggling. Still, the monk wouldn’t release him. Second, by the second, the young man fought harder and harder. After three minutes, the monk pulled the young man out of the water and said: “When you desire God as much as you desired air, you will have the epiphany of God.” End of the story.
We are so familiar with the Epiphany story yet enthralling that it never stops making us wonder and fill our wildest imagination. Epiphany is celebrated as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Three Magi coming from distant lands. Today, when someone has an “epiphany,” it also means they’ve had a sudden insight into the deeper meaning of something. Today, we still recall this story as it unfolds when Jesus is not after all for the Jews alone, but also for the Gentiles. The star is revealed as a sign from heaven made by God and inspirations of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word magoi (plural of magus), meaning wise men, the Magi derived their wisdom from their knowledge of the stars and heavenly bodies. Like the Magi, the stars are what determine man’s fate or fortune on earth as they interpret the turns of events, the cycles of human activities, and the destiny that awaits them. We hear expressions such as: if you wish upon a star, everything is written in the stars, that’s your lucky star, they remind us that indeed we need the star to guide us in our decisions, directions, and life’s journey. Who is your star? Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as the Messiah who comes from Bethlehem of Judea and the Magi from the far east of Israel are searching for the “newborn King of the Jews.” For Israel, this is good news. However, instead of rejoicing, many in Jerusalem including Herod become greatly troubled. He thinks Jesus is a powerful threat to his kingship for the start from Israel indicates the One who is to be “a ruler who is to shepherd” Israel. However, Herod’s evil intention did not prosper as the story told us. He was not aware that Jesus came not as a political leader to initiate a political uprisal, but as a spiritual Messiah who came to bring the Good News to all Israel and the Gentile regions. Here we see the star is the sign of a true King, the Savior of mankind. Herod and his cohorts misinterpreted the star’s presence, its meaning and to whom does it refer.
The story of the Magi is the story of every person and everyone’s never-ending quest for truth and meaning, of wisdom, and knowledge, and life – a gift from God. We must have the star that would lead us to Jesus. The story portrays Jesus as the newborn King subjected to the cruelty of the world. Despite the threats to His life, did not succumb to surrender, or comprised God’s will and despite the obstacles and hostilities around Him, He allowed Himself to be discovered. The wise men needed each other (the benefit of a community) aside from the uniqueness of their gifts that they presented to Jesus: gold, myrrh, and frankincense symbols of Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and humanity, they continuously seek the star even it will take a lifetime. Their firm resolve and determination led them eventually to their ultimate destination. Here we have the image of true missionaries in the persons of the three Magi. This New Year, why not adopt some missionaries. They left their families and comfort for the sake of the Kingdom. We need them to go to places where we cannot go. Aside from praying, we can support them in their needs. Let us not presume the message of the Gospel has already saturated the world. They tell us stories that do not fascinate us, but their encounters of the unchurched inspire us to deepen our faith.
Today’s culture is plagued by people who are endlessly seeking a higher meaning to things in all the dubious places. The Magi, masters of their astuteness, did rely on their wisdom and knowledge, rather ventured to unfamiliar places, simply followed the star, and trusted their spirit behind the star. The spirit could be their instincts, gut, and their quest to find true happiness, peace, and fulfillment which only Jesus could provide. Nothing complicated and extraordinary. This is how sometimes God deals with us, His guidance or ways could be very simple, yet we make them complicated and taxing. People would even use horoscopes, fortune tellers, palmistry, card reading, Tarot cards, and the like to entertain, aid, or even consult on their decision-making process. Why not this New Year, can we devote ourselves to the reading of the Word of God, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Talk to your spiritual director, parish priest, or trusted family member and friend who might be the “guiding star” and join a Catholic group and get involved in any ministry of the Church.
God’s use of a star to guide these magoi to Jesus was a one-time thing. God's primary means to salvation are prophets, scriptures, sacraments, and His Son – not stars.
In conclusion, we can use STAR to mean:
- Sign of God’s presence (God is everywhere, we can find Him even in the most mysterious, obscure, unconventional, or even strange places).
- Transcendence (God reveals Himself in our ordinary or common encounters, if we are open to His leading with humility and trust, He will lead us to His very heart – Divine Life.
- Attribute (the “star” of our life shares the attributes of God: truth, goodness, wisdom, light that shines during darkness, inspiration, and motivation.
- Remembrance (remember who you are. In the movie: Lion King, Mufasa reminds Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars.
The Magi found Jesus, the Son of God, who also found them because they knew they were guided by the true star of their life and faith. One more thing that their successful search was fulfilled because they knew Jesus has a Father who was willing to give up His Son for them. When we found Jesus after our endless search and difficult adventures, do we also thank the Father for leading us to Him? May our New Year lead us to deepen our knowledge and love for Jesus so we can deepen our knowledge and love as well for each other.