Adoration of the Magi, Baptistry of Florence Cathedral c.1250-1330, Pinterest.com.

They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.    Matthew 2:11.

Click here to read today’s Sunday Mass Readings.

Click on words highlighted in red for further information.

Today’s gospel is one of the most famous, and fascinating, events in the life of the Lord. First of all, who on earth were the Magi? That word itself is not Greek (in which all our Christian scriptures are written). It is written μάγος (magos) but that word comes from Old Persian “magosh” meaning priest. But back then that meant one versed not only in the holy scripture of their religion (whatever it was) but also in divination and astronomy. Our own word “magic” comes from this root word. They might well have been Zoroastrians, a very ancient religion, with belief in One God, predating Christianity, and still practiced today. And note also that there is no mention of how many visitors there were to the stable. The three gifts and their value have led to the tradition of three kings. So this whole episode is a mysterious part of the story of Jesus. Scholarly tradition has it as the initiation of the Gentiles into the Lord’s mission, even as a new born. The shepherds represent the Hebrew people into whom Jesus was born, poor, like them, and the wise men are the Gentiles, recognizing him almost at the same time, but much more wealthy with their precious gifts. This is the message in the second reading today. Here was Jesus, even in his first days, welcomed as the apostle to the whole world, in the original sense of the word, as a plenipotentiary sent with the full power of the one who sent him (Hebrews 3:1). And clearly, judging from today’s first reading, this event was considered to be the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah, with the telling omission of myrrh. That “treasure”, as today’s gospel puts it, was used in those days, among other things, for embalming a dead body. 

Ah yes, those three treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What did they symbolize? Clearly they are not traditional Christmas gifts! The gold would be quite welcome by anyone of course, but those other two…. Most Catholics are familiar with incense, that substance placed on burning coals in the thurible during Mass or Benediction, producing a strong fragrance, the most spectacular of which can be seen here. Among other things, it is symbolic of our prayers rising to heaven and to God. So it is priestly. Gold, of course, is symbolic of power and wealth, such as that of a king. But myrrh is different. It is still used in a variety of ways today, mostly in support of good health. But 2000 years ago this gum resin from certain trees was also employed in lessening suffering from ill health and also embalming the dead, which possibly was the symbolic reason it was presented to the infant Jesus. Hence King, Priest and Suffering Servant were the symbolic meanings of these three gifts. They summed up the entire mission of the Savior even at his birth. And it was the Gentile visitors who gave them.  

These 12 verses in Matthew, the only gospel to mention the Wise Men, have given rise to an array of speculation and argument, even to the extent of naming them: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar! And the name of this special, unique event is the Epiphany, or the recognition, the manifestation, of God in the newborn Jesus to the Gentiles. As mentioned, many scholars suggest they were possibly Zoroastrian priests, known for their ability to interpret divine meaning from celestial events (which would explain them following the Star). There was much admiration of them in the Roman world, and the East was often considered to be rich in wisdom and knowledge, which admiration can be found even today. But it also seems that most scholars look upon the entire story as somewhat mythological, and that any serious effort to identify them as real will end in career death. The Wise Men, according to most scholars therefore, should be taken as symbolic rather than real. There are some exceptions, but that is the opinion of most scholars of the New Testament. Be that as it may, Matthew clearly thought it important that it be clearly stated that the Lord had been born for all peoples in all places. That cannot be denied and is as true today as the day he wrote it. Jesus is for all people and all time, the Savior and the Lord of all.

Shrine of the Three Kings 1180-1225, Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Cologne, Germany.

HAVE A HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR 2025!

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD ENJOY THESE REFLECTIONS, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW. THANK YOU. 

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reactions to: RogerJohn@aol.com 

© SundayMassReadings.com