The New Year is traditionally a time when we remember the Magi who
journeyed from the East to pay tribute to the newly born Jesus. They were late arrivals in Bethlehem
having travelled a great distance, probably from Babylonia. It is something of a mystery as to what
exactly set them on their way. We
are told that they saw a star when it rose in the East and they connected this
with the birth of ‘the king of the Jews’.
Something about this star spoke to expectations they had that one day a
significant figure would be born in the land of the Jews.
It is doubtful if they would have made the journey to pay tribute to a
foreign king unless they were convinced that this particular king would give
them some insight into the great mysteries of life. Magi were scholars who studied science, philosophy and
religion. Sometimes this led them
into areas that today we would call the ‘occult’ but at their best these men
were honest seekers after truth.
It is possible that copies or fragments of the Hebrew Scriptures had
come to their hands and they were familiar with the expectation that one day a
special person would emerge from the nation of Israel who would offer hope not
just for this life but also the life to come. Then they saw the star and it touched something profound
within them. Joseph Ratzinger
wrote this:
‘All kinds of factors could have combined to generate the idea that the
language of the star contained a message of hope. But none of this would have prompted people to set off on a journey,
unless they were people of unrest, people of hope, people on the lookout for
the true star of salvation.’
A colleague recently said to me that he is convinced that there are many
people in our country who are interested in Jesus but who just do not see the
point of the Church. This is not
new. There will always be ‘people
of unrest, people of hope, people on the lookout for the true star of
salvation.‘ That is the way
we are made. Our hearts are
restless until they find their rest in God. And the Church has a point for it is within the community of
faith that the story of Jesus is told, that His significance is drawn out, that
the hope He brings for this life and the next is emphasized, that His love is
demonstrated for those who need Him most.
Another year is just around the corner. Let us never lose this vision of Whose we are and Whom we
serve. Not just for our own sake
but for the honest seekers after truth who God is seeking to gather into His
purpose.
