Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2 we see the story of the magi coming to visit the baby Jesus. We often refer to them as the Three Kings. The Gospel does not tell us that there were three, or mention any number. Nor does it refer to them as kings. These “facts” come from ancient traditions. We do know that they were “from the east.”
An important thing to note is that the magi probably traveled quite a distance to find this newborn King. Again, the Scripture does not say how far or how long their journey was, but we do know that they came from another country. It is generally accepted that theirs was a substantial journey, perhaps months or even longer. My point here is that the magi made great sacrifices to journey to Jesus.
Too many people today want their faith to be easy. They’ll go to Mass and pray, but only if it fits into their schedule, if it causes them no trouble or inconvenience. Should something “more important” pop up, well…God won’t mind if I miss Mass. He knows that my heart is in the right place. I think it is very appropriate that we refer to the magi as the Wise Men. Though their journey was probably fraught with hardship and certainly not convenient (remember, they didn’t have jets or bullet trains back then), they put great importance on getting to Jesus. Do we? Or is our faith simply a matter of convenience for us?
Father, may we make you, and getting to Jesus, the priority in our lives. Help us to be as diligent as the Wise Men. Amen.
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