Saturday, January 7, 2023

Gospel Acclamation: The Epiphany of the Lord

We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.

The magi were pagans, not Jews. They did not have the benefit of the Scriptures with all their prophecies of the Messiah to come. They did not live in Israel and were not immersed in the culture or the religion or the hopes of salvation.

But the magi were more observant and more enthusiastic than the Jews. They knew from some obscure prophecy or message down the line, perhaps from Daniel or other Jews during the Babylonian exile, that a King was coming. They had been watching for the sign of His arrival for many years, perhaps even many decades or many centuries. And when they saw that sign, they recognized it and immediately set out to find the King Who had now come. They did not hesitate. They did not wait. They knew that something remarkable had happened, and while they did not fully understand it, they longed to participate in it. So they followed the star all the way to Jesus.

Do we have the observant and enthusiastic attitude of the magi? To we watch and wait eagerly for what God has to show us? Do we respond at once with joy, willing to set out on a long journey of whatever sort to do His will and find what He has in store for us? Are we like the magi?

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