Epiphany! A word that does not appear in the bible but has been used to describe the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah and God to the nations. There is no secret meaning or complicated message in the Gospel for this solemnity. The Magi, people who were non-Jews came from a foreign country to do homage to Jesus, a newborn King. For the Magi, Jesus is a King, a Messiah, a Savior, and a God. It really didn’t matter that they were not Jews.
Don’t you think it is interesting that Herod and all of Jerusalem, who were so close to Bethlehem, were unable to see the star? And even more interesting is to think that even after being told by the Magi, Herod and the people were unable to see the star? “Go and search for the baby, and then tell me,” Herod tells them. In this story only the magi can see the star.
To understand this, we need to know that Jerusalem in the Gospel of Matthew is not only a geographical place. It is also a state of mind, an attitude. To be in Jerusalem is to belong to a closed, exclusive, rigid, nationalistic mentality. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is the center of national Judaism. Those who believed that Yahweh was their God and salvation was only theirs. These people were unable to accept that the light of God can shine far beyond their city and their own people. They aimed to monopolize God’s grace. But as we see in the Gospel, the star shone for gentiles, and the first worshipers of Jesus were what rigid Jews will call unclean, pagans, or just foreigners.
This writing from Matthew could have created a little bit of discomfort for some people. But Matthew had a mixed church, his Gospel was written for a mixed community of Jews and gentiles. Hence the value of this story for him. Whenever we try to be exclusive and treat the Church as a club were only chosen people can enter and receive God’s grace, we blind ourselves to the wonders and to the light that God shares upon others who may never be part of the Church. To be true to its founder (as many say Jesus is), the Catholic Church must always be inclusive. We who now share in the body of Christ have the responsibility to extend that grace and love to all, no matter who that person is.
Today we celebrate the revelation of our God as a God that is for all, as a God that loves all, as a God that welcomes all. The story of the Magi teaches us that God’s signs become invisible for those who are not inclusive and try to monopolize his grace.
