The Ephiphany of the Lord

Paul reminding the Ephesians in our second reading that the outflowing of the Spirit into time has never before happened is worth thinking about.

 

 

The Christ is now among humanity and fixed historically in time.

 

We have heard this Gospel about the magi coming to find the king and messiah so often it is too familiar to us. To many, it is like the story of Santa Claus coming down the chimney. A nice story at best.

 

But historically the whole world had traditions and expectations that a king would come from Judea. This was known throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Numerous historical writings show that for three magi to visit Bethlehem was in line with the expectations of the time.

 

At the time of Jesus birth there was throughout the world a sense

of expectation of the coming King, even among those who did not

understand.

Even the Roman historians knew about this and recorded it for us.

Not very much later from Christ’s birth we can read in Suetonius’s

“Life of Vespasian”, “ There had spread over all the Orient an old

and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming

from Judaea to rule the world.

 

Tacitus in his “Histories”, wrote of

the same belief, that “there was a firm persuasion…that at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and rulers coming from Judaea were to acquire a universal empire.

 

In Josephus’s “Wars of the Jews” he writes that “The Jews had the

belief that” about that time one from their country should become

governor of the habitable earth”

 

Slightly later we hear of Tiridates, King of Armenia visiting Nero

at Rome with his Magi along with him. We find the Magi in

Athens sacrificing to the memory of Plato.

 

 Almost at the same time as Jesus was born we find Augustus, the Roman emperor being hailed as the Savior of the world, and Virgil, the Roman poet, writing his Fourth Ecologue, which is known as the Messianic

Ecologue about the golden days to come.

 

Upon this time, this culture, this moment, mankind was poised,

ready and waiting for a new King.

 

Our Gospel depicting the Magi

coming to see the newborn King could easily have happened in

that world where so many felt the new king was soon to be born.

 

This isn’t a nice story or a symbolic recognition to mark the birth of Christ. It is history and marks humanity coming to see the Christ child who all were expecting.

 

Today the world has found Christ. Many will be disturbed by it all. Their power or greed or terrible plans do not fit with this Christ in the world.

 

But for you and me, we should remember that Christ came for all who sit in darkness. For all who seek truth and his unfathomable love. For us who are looking for that divine presence to make sense of our world, we come too to see Jesus. And give him the gifts we have for him. Our love and our wounds and fears. Our hopes and needs. Those are the gifts Jesus seeks. Allow Jesus to come more fully into your world today so that you can live with that joy and hope every day. For we can have the joys of Christmas always if we give him our gifts and let nothing sway us from following his way. Jesus has come to the world and the world has come to see him. Let us rejoice always in the coming of our Lord.