Going Together
Fr. George Smiga
January 8, 2012
Matthew 2:1-12
Christians are fascinated by today’s Gospel because it includes the characters of the Magi, those exotic travelers from the East. We would like to know as much as we can about the Magi, but the Gospel gives us very little information. In fact, if you listen carefully to the Gospel, you will notice that the Bible does not tell us how many Magi there were or how the Magi travelled to Bethlehem.
Christian tradition worked quickly to fill in these details. Because there were three gifts, it concluded, there must have been three Magi. Because Isaiah talks about travelers from the East riding camels, it was concluded that the Magi came to Bethlehem on those very animals. In time the tradition gave the Magi names: Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior. Over the centuries, legends were created that expanded the exploits of the Magi further. I would like to use one such expansion as a part of this homily. It is an old story. It was first reported by the Italian explorer Marco Polo in 1298. He was told the legend while he was travelling in Persia.
In this Persian legend the Magi are different ages. Balthazar is a teenager, Caspar is in his forties, and Melchior is an old man. As the three of them follow the star and arrive at the place where Jesus is (which in this legend is a cave), they decide to enter individually. Balthazar goes in first. He finds the cave empty, except for a young boy the same age as he is. As he exits, Caspar goes in. There is nothing in the cave except for a man in his forties like him. Finally Melchior enters. All that is there is an old man.
The three Magi are discouraged. They begin to wonder if their long journey was in vain. They discuss returning to their own country. Then Melchior says, “Let’s try this one more time. This time let’s go into the cave together.” So the three Magi walk into the cave together and find the child Jesus with his mother. They prostrate themselves and offer their gifts.
Most of this legend is not in the Bible. But it expresses the biblical message rather well. The message of Epiphany—the message of the Magi—is that God’s salvation is available to all people. God is revealed not only to Jews but to Greeks, not only to people from the West but people from the East. Therefore, there is a strong biblical basis to understand the story of the Magi as a challenge to recognize our connection with all people. The love of God spans all the differences that are present in humanity. The glory of Christ bridges all of our divisions of nationality, race, politics, and economic background. We are all one, united in the love of God that comes to us in Christ.
The Persian legend of the Magi helps us to focus on a particular set of divisions. It challenges us to realize our connectedness with people of different generations. It does this by giving the Magi different ages. How easy it is for someone in their forties to look at teenagers and say, “They’re spoiled. They’re too idealistic. They have no idea of what real life is about.” How easy it is for teenagers to look at the elderly and say, “Those people are out of it. They don’t know what’s going on. They can’t even tweet!” How easy it is for old people to complain about the younger generation, “Why can’t they think and act the way we did when we were young.”
Against all of these inclinations, the story of the Magi reminds us that God’s love is not limited to any one generation. God’s glory and God’s goodness can be perceived in the experiences of every age group. We need the energy of the young, the responsibility of the middle-aged, and the wisdom of the elderly. We need to be able to see and hear God speak to us in our grandchildren, in our parents, in our sons and daughters, in friendships and relationships that we establish with people in generations other than our own. It is only together that the fullness of God’s glory can be seen.
Now, of course, we could, like the Magi in the Persian story, attempt to see Christ by ourselves. But then we run the risk that the cave will be empty—except for someone just like us, someone who thinks and acts and believes just as we do. If, however, we are willing to listen and to learn from one another, to join ourselves with those from other generations, we can enter the cave together. Doing this will increase our chances that inside we will find Jesus and be able to offer our gifts.
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