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Scripture
Matthew 2:1-12 The Visit of the Magi Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?” “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’” So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.” And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him. Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Reflection The journey of the wise men is an exciting story; it’s a story of reading the signs of the times, of guidance on the way, of delight in finding faith and God, of the intrigue of a greedy and jealous king, and of the good beating the bad when the wise men outwit Herod. Pope Francis said, “in order to find Jesus, we also need to take a different route, to follow a different path, his path, the path of humble love. And we have to persevere.” He recalled that the Gospel tells us that the Magi, after encountering Jesus, left by a “different road from that of Herod. An alternative route than that of the world, like the road taken by those who surround Jesus at Christmas: Mary and Joseph, the shepherds.” For, he said, “only those who leave behind their worldly attachments and undertake a journey find the mystery of God.” Each of us has our own personal star guiding us – the star of prayer, love, friendship, support…the star has a different name at different times. Be grateful for your star – and be grateful that you have been a star for others. In the book of God, each of us is a star. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Prayer (Frank Colquhoun) Lord Jesus may your light shine our way, as once it guided the steps of the magi: that we too may be led into your presence and worship you, the Child of Mary, the Word of the Father, the King of nations, the Saviour of mankind; to whom be glory for ever. Amen. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Music We close our reflections with the wonderful carol Joy to the World. |
