Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
- Matthew 2:1-12
The magi in this week’s Gospel are really stand-ins for all of us. Here we have three strangers from a foreign land who see a star and decide to investigate it. When they finally find the place where it stops, they have an encounter with the newborn Messiah and, recognizing who He is, offer him homage and gifts. Then they return to their lives, forever changed by the experience.
This is the same journey we all take in our lives. We begin as strangers who have not encountered God or Jesus. As we grow older, we have experiences in which we begin to learn about God and Jesus, Mary and the saints. With each experience, we travel further along the road toward meeting Jesus ourselves. Then, at some point, we have our own encounter with Jesus. We come to know who He is in a real way and begin a personal relationship with Him. At this point, when we fully realize who it is we have been praying to, talking with and worshipping all these years, we cannot help but fall down and acknowledge God’s greatness and our own unworthiness. Like the magi, we make a choice to offer our gifts to God.
But that is not the end of the journey. We don’t just remain in the stable adoring God and praising Him. No, we must “depart for [our] country,” but, like the magi, we depart forever changed by what we have encountered. This is what we mean by conversion – a change in our very nature that is permanent and lasting. Once we encounter Christ, we are no longer the same. And thankfully, once we encounter Christ, we no longer want to be the same. That is the message of Christmas – that Christ came to save us and ignite within us a desire to be saved.
Christmas truly is a season of conversion. That is why the stories we tell at Christmas are filled with individuals who are changed by an encounter – Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounter with the three spirits, the Grinch and his encounter with the Whos, George Bailey and his encounter with Clarence – the list goes on. We even hear about it Mass – Mary and Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds and the Magi – all changed by encounters, first with angels and then with Christ Himself. This Epiphany, think back on when you had your encounter with Christ. How has your life been different? Have you changed?