The first reading for Mass today is about radiant light. It’s just beautiful. The first verse reminds you of the gospel today, because of the star that the three kings followed to find baby Jesus:
“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you … upon you the Lord shines and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.”
Then, toward the end of the first reading these verses are also prophetic of the three kings:
“Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow … the wealth of nations shall be brought to you … dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense.”
The old testament prophecies are fulfilled in the new testament, and the prophet Isaiah foretold many things that later came true about Jesus, including his death on the cross. But, today is not a day to think of death, but only life, and God’s infinite goodness and love for mankind.
God knew mankind has a skeptical nature though. The birth of Christ was foretold over 600 years before his birth, and that may have been because of mankind’s skeptical nature. Many of the Jewish people did not believe Jesus was actually God’s own son in spite of the fact he fulfilled all of the prophecies foretold about him.
That is what’s so amazing about the three wise men. They were wise indeed, because they believed God and trusted Him enough to let Him guide them a great distance, to a place they had never been. We get caught up in the beautiful, sentimental story of today’s gospel, but often overlook the profound faith, belief and trust in God, that the three kings had. What else could have caused them to leave their home and travel such a great distance, encountering many hardships and dangers along the way, just like the danger they encountered in King Herod. They were wise indeed, to have fled from him.
That is another thing that was so amazing about these three kings. They listened to their dream that warned them not to return to Herod, and they acted on it. What simple, but profound faith in God they had! How much they trusted Him! If we were in their shoes – would we have done the same? How weak is our faith in God, whom we can not see! How weak is our trust in a God that is invisible to us! Many of us feel the need to control our lives and control our future – but these three kings did not. They just followed their heart. They followed the star.
When they finally saw the star stop over the place where baby Jesus was born, they were overjoyed. There is no doubt they felt the same emotions that were described in today’s first reading for Mass, that perhaps fulfilled this prophecy:
“Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow …”
Three kings … that traveled such a great distance just to do homage to the newborn king, baby Jesus. That alone is a statement of the great faith of these men. They paid him homage, when they themselves were accustomed to the honor and respect that was shown to them by their own subjects. They acknowledged that they were inferior to this little baby boy who was destined to be a king far greater than themselves.
A small thing to notice in the gospel today, that really isn’t such a small at all, was the star that the three kings followed. Nature itself acknowledged that Jesus Christ was the son of God. The universe itself acknowledged Jesus was the son of the living God. A star foretold his birth and came to land directly over the place where he was born. Then, much later, an eclipse of the sun occurred when Jesus died on the cross. It is fitting that a radiant light filled the darkness of the night when Christ was born, and that the light went out of the world during the eclipse of the sun when he died. The universe itself acknowledged who he really was. The Creator’s only son.
The story of the three wise men is one of a profound belief in God, hope for the future, and trust in God’s abiding presence with them until they reached the destination of their journey. Can we say the same thing about ourselves?
The three wise men simply followed their heart. They were drawn to this star that touched their heart and they followed their heart where ever it led them. This is timeless advice for any age. God is love. Your heart knows what is genuine and real. There are many false prophets and people in our life who want to manipulate and use us, like king Herod tried to do with the three kings. The three kings were wise men indeed. They have much to teach us about listening to God and following our heart, no matter where it leads us or what anyone else thinks about it.
