St. Matthew is a great story teller! The Gospel passage he provides for the Church this weekend, (2, 1-12) is full of details, unique characters, suspense, intrigue, and multiple layers of meaning and mystery. The mysterious star, those unique gifts, the suspense of Herod’s plot, the charm of those foreigners – all of these things have delighted believers and unbelievers alike throughout the Christian era.
One of the risks we face in modern times is that we think we are in such a big hurry that we do not have time to listen to “the whole story.” We want to buy the Cliffs Notes or jump ahead to the end or we hear the beginning of any story and conclude “We’ve heard this before…” and quit listening altogether. However, since this Gospel account was first told, weaving together the Epiphany story, it has wonderfully excited the curious and those willing to sit down and read the whole thing. Be sure to do that before you come to Mass.
Here is one example of the fruits of carefully and attentively listening to the story. In English we have an interesting use of the word “see.” We often use it in conversation to express the fact that we have come to understand, like “I see what you mean.” The experts and religious leaders in Matthew 2, 1-12 were not interested in “seeing,” and certainly Herod was not interested in seeing anything that might threaten his power. But how could anything in little-old-Bethlehem threaten that great power? With that question, the Epiphany story can begin to make sense in a new way: those who want to see, who “seek,” will recognize a promise fulfilled: Light has come into the Darkness; earthly power has been overthrown by the power of God, discovered in the least of all places and in the poorest of all people.
St. Matthew’s gift draws us into the heart of the Christmas Mystery: those who want to see, who want to see the face and presence of God, shouldn’t look into the face of power and prestige, but into the face of little people, the weak and vulnerable people, where the power of God and the presence of God has taken flesh. We who hear (and who tell) this story again and again are a people living in the Light and, as children of the Light, we can see: we can see God’s presence, see God’s mercy, and see God’s love – in Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in Bethlehem.
There is way more in Matthew 2, 1-12 than simply a revelation suggesting the inclusion of gentiles among God’s holy and chosen ones. There is a call to seek, to see, to experience, and to live in the Light – discovering that those who follow the light of Christ will ultimately be led to Jerusalem. And it is in Jerusalem where God’s power, through the Resurrection of Christ, will pull down the mighty from their thrones and lift up the lowly.
Let us pray. “O God, go before us with heavenly light, always and everywhere. Help us perceive with clear sight and revere with true affection the Mystery which you have given us to share in this Christmas season. Please continue to lift up the lowly, grant pardon to the sinner, and allow all of us to live in your peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
