Wise Men Still Seek Him”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 5-6, 2019
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
1) After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east 2) asking, ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ 3) When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. 4) He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5) They told him, ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote: 6) And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’ 7) Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared 8) and sent them on to Bethlehem with the words, ‘Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ 9) Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was. 10) The sight of the star filled them with delight, 11) and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12) But they were given a warning in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
Today is the Epiphany of the Lord. The definition of epiphany is a sudden understanding about the nature or meaning of something. The Epiphany of the Lord is a manifestation of God becoming visible to the world. For the first time, man encountered God face-to-face.
I like to drive around town to look at Christmas lights. Sometimes, people will have a nativity scene and a cross as part of their display. But, this is redundant. Christ was born in a wooden manger and died on a wooden cross. The manger and cross are both revelations of His love. He was born as man so that He could die for our salvation.
The wise men came from the East. They had great faith, but no bibles. Very few people could read which is why the Church used visual scripture in the form of statues and stained glass windows to tell the bible story. The wise men brought the baby Jesus gifts of:
Gold – for His divine kingship
Frankincense – for His divine nature
Myrrh – for His human nature and death
The nativity scene represents the three types of people found in the Church:
1. Wisemen – They achieved the goal of their education; they learned that they didn’t know everything. However, they were willing to learn.
2. Shepherds – They knew how ignorant they were. They were humble and found the truth in Christ.
3. Pure – Mary and Joseph
Just as the wise men and shepherds came together for the birth of the Lord, we come together to worship that same Lord when we celebrate the Mass. Bishop Sheen said we do not need to look up to heaven to see Him; instead we can look down. We can see Him at Church in the tabernacle. Everybody will see God at their death….some for just a few minutes before being turned away; but those who love and follow Him will stay with Him for eternity.
Some people memorize scripture; but do they understand what it means? If not, they are learning words and little else. Catalog of Theology:
Christology – the study of who Christ is…the true God and true man.
Sacramentology – the study of biblical sacraments, particularly Holy Communion during which He becomes the body and blood.
Eclesiology – a study of What and Who the Church is…we become a member of the Church through faith. This gift is for the whole world, and we are called to share it with others.
Mariology – the study of Mary, mother of Jesus, and her role in the salvation of souls
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you seek Him with the faith of the wise men? Will you share your faith with others as we have been called to do?