Three types of people
Even though the feast of Epiphany traditionally falls on January 6, its celebration has recently in many parts of the Catholic Church been transferred to the Sunday nearest to that date, which is why in our diocese we are celebrating it today. I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t January 9 closer than January 2?” and you would be correct. But this post isn’t meant to be about calendar arguments but rather the deeper meaning of the feast itself, so let’s move on.
In reflecting on the Gospel reading that is proclaimed each year on this feast day, it strikes me that there are three types of people mentioned in the Matthew’s account of the visit of the Magi and that those three types of people are still very much a part of our own time. The first group are those who have found the Lord and are living their lives in relationship to him. The second group are those who do not yet know the Lord, but are actively looking for him. The third group are those who do not know the Lord nor are they looking for him. While it is often easy to simply try to put people into categories or boxes, I would suggest that in the case of what is presented in the Scripture, there is almost always a part of each character in every one of us. With that in mind, let’s take a look at these three types of people found in the story of the Magi.
Mary is for Christians the perfect model of the person who knows Christ and who is in active relationship with him. It is she who humbly accepts God’s call to become the mother of God and whom we find quietly contemplating all that has happened to her through Christ in her heart. Mary answered God’s call by making it her task to love Jesus without fail every day of her life. As we begin a new year, it may be helpful for us to reflect quietly on the ways we can best show our love for Christ and strengthen our relationship with him.
The Magi represent those who have not yet found Christ, but are actively looking for him. It seems to me that our society has an abundance of this type of person, those who with pure intentions are doing their best to seek out what is right. It also seems to me that many of us who claim as Christians to have found God, are still in many ways always seeking to know him as he truly is. Too often our own preconception of God gets in the way of our relationship with God as he is in reality. We Christians should always be looking for the lights that lead us ever deeper into communion with God.
Herod is the final character in the story to be mentioned and he represents those who do not know Christ nor are they seeking him. Herod eventually does go in search of Jesus, but only in order to kill him. Herod feared this newborn king because he wanted to hold on to his own power and any cost. There are still many people in our world today who do not know Christ and who don’t spend time actively searching for God. Sometimes we who claim to be Christians can fall into this category too. When we neglect to spend time in prayer or with our community, we miss the opportunity to search for where God is calling us today. When we fear what it is that God might be calling us to and we hide from him, we fall into this category. When we sin, and as a result kill our relationship with God and others, we are choosing Herod as our model.
Epiphany, however, is a feast of light. It is a day when we are encouraged to make God’s glory visible to a world that still lies in darkness. May this day be one that reminds us to choose the example of the Magi as we continue to search for God’s will in our lives and the perfect model of Mary, the humble and obedient servant of the Lord.
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