FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
Matthew 2, 1-12
English Translation by Rev. Fr.Valentine de Souza S.J.
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| Rev. Fr.Valentine de Souza S.J. |
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
A DISTURBING STORY
José Antonio Pagola
Quite different attitudes can be adopted in the presence of Jesus. The story of the Magi tells us about the reaction of three groups of people: some pagans who seek him out, guided by the faint light of a star; the representatives of the religion of the Temple who remain indifferent; the powerful king Herod, who only sees a threat in him.
The Magi do not belong to the chosen people. They haven’t heard of the living God of Israel. We know nothing of their religion nor of the people they come from, except that they are aware of the mystery behind the cosmos. Their hearts seek the truth.
At some time they began to believe they saw a little light that signified a Savior. They need to know who and where he is. At once they set out on their way. They aren’t sure of the precise route to be followed, but in their hearts, there burns the hope of finding a Light for the world.
Their arrival in the holy city of Jerusalem touched off a general scare. Summoned by Herod, a Council of the “chief priests and scribes of the people” meets. Their behavior is disappointing. They are the guardians of the true religion, but they do not seek the truth. They represent God, but they are deaf to his call.
The autocratic and brutal King Herod sees only a threat to his power and cruelty in Jesus. He will do all he can to eliminate him. All a powerful oppressor can do is to “crucify” anyone who brings liberation.
Meanwhile the Magi continue their search. They do not bend the knee to Herod. They do not find anything to worship in him. They do not visit the grandiose Temple of Jerusalem: they are forbidden to enter it. The tiny light of the star draws them to the little village of Bethlehem, far from any center of power.
On their arrival, the only thing they see is “the child with Mary, his mother.” Nothing else. A child bereft of power and splendor. A delicate life that needs the care of a mother. It’s enough to awaken in the Magi a desire to worship.
The story is disturbing. Those established in power or hardened by religious security will not find this God hidden in human frailty. He is revealed to those who guided by little lights, incessantly seek hope for the human being in the tenderness and poverty of life.
Awaken faith in an incarnate God.
Jose Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain.
English Translation by Valentine de Souza S.J. Mandal, Gujarat , India.394650
Three Kings Photos Courtesy: Google
Three Kings Photos Courtesy: Google
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thank you very much for a beautiful translation. it does help me
ReplyDeleteNotice how people of different religious traditions came to know that the Son of God was born. The shepherds who were regarded as unclean and could not take part in Temple worship without undergoing purification came to know through a direct vision of angels. The magi knew through a reading of the stars. And King Herod’s scribes came to know through searching the scriptures. Visions, stars, scriptures -- different ways of arriving at the same truth. Of course this does not mean that any religious tradition is just as good as the other. Notice how Matthew indicates that when the guiding star got to Jerusalem its light failed and the magi had to consult the scriptures to direct them to Bethlehem. Over and above the natural light of the star the magi still needed the supernatural light of scripture to finally get to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteYet the crucial question in the story remains: Who actually got to find Jesus? Herod and his scribes who had the scriptures failed to find Jesus but the magi who followed the natural light of the stars were able to find him. Why? Because the Jewish authorities, even though they possessed the shining truth of revealed scriptures, did not follow it. They did not walk in the light of the scriptures. The magi, on the other hand, who enjoyed only a star light followed its guidance. It is not the possession of the truth that matters, it is how prepared we are to walk in the light of the truth that we possess. It is better to have the dim light of the stars and follow it than to have the bright light of the holy scriptures and neglect it.