Feast of Epiphany
Readings
Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12
Reflection
The story of the visit of the Magi in Matthew Gospel contains the same message as other stories in the Gospel like when Jesus goes to his hometown in Nazareth and preaches in the synagogue only to be rejected by his own people causing Jesus to say, “No prophet is recognised in his hometown.” Or when Jesus heals the 10 leppers only to have one come back to say thanks, and he is a Samaritan.
Matthew wrote his Gospel some 60 years after Jesus, when it has become clear that the Jewish people, as a whole, have failed to accept Jesus as the Messiah, yet the faith is spreading quickly amongst the gentiles. The irony in the story of the Magi is that Jesus, the true king of Israel, is rejected by the Jewish authorities, who even try to have him killed, but is acknowledged as king by the Magi who are Gentiles.
What does this say to us today? That God is offering us the gift of himself. Do we welcome this gift and receive it with joy, or do we reject it? Jesus’ own people rejected him – so with us, does familiarity breed contempt?
Have you noticed how children from financially well-off families who regularly get so many presents given to them at Christmas quickly lose interest in the present they open, rushing to open the next one? It doesn’t matter how many gifts they open; it will never be enough to fill the void inside. And often they don’t really take care of the presents they receive. Why take care of their toys when mum and dad can always buy them a new one?
God can be like this for us, like an ornament we were given once for Christmas that we put upon the shelf and forget about until the following Christmas when we might remember and brush the dust off, then put back on the shelf to be forgotten for another year.
Have we become like spoilt children? Then, when we end up in difficulties, we complain, ‘where is God?’ ‘Why is God doing this to me?’ But God didn’t do anything to you – you haven’t let God be part of the picture.
God has so much He wants to offer us. Perhaps, as we contemplate the gifts the Magi bring to the newborn king, we need to look again at the gift being offered to us more closely.
Fr. Ray Sanchez CP is the leader of the Oxley community and is responsible for Parish Missions and Retreats throughout Australia and NZ.