On this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Scriptures offer us a stellar “cast of characters” – Joseph and Mary, the star in the East, and the magi (the seekers who want to adore the newborn King). All of these “central players” stand in stark contrast to Herod … who lacks far more than wisdom.
Even if it sounds counter-intuitive, Herod deserves our attention today. It would be hard to count his deficiencies, but courage and openness would be among them. Isn’t it remarkable that Herod and his court did nothing, even after his scholars told him what was happening? They are reminiscent of those in our day who, despite ample information, still choose to do nothing about climate change.
One of Herod’s biggest problems was simply that he was too comfortable, too self-assured, and too confident in his own power to allow something new, to allow a change, or even to be aware of a power greater than his own. Herod “knew” nothing and, content with his ignorance, he missed the revelation of Divine Presence and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The magi, by contrast, missed none of that!
An important lesson for us today is this: those who want to be true disciples of Jesus Christ are always seeking, always looking for signs and wonders of God’s presence and work among us. We can learn from Herod’s ignorance that, unless we search, unless we open ourselves to new possibilities, we will never really know much about God – much less come to see Him.
The world around us, the world in which we live, is often hostile to change, and it leads to a lot fear of the unknown. That hostility and that fear to allow something new is dangerous and becomes an obstacle to knowledge and the discovery of truth. Again, we must be seekers. We must follow the lead of Joseph and Mary, the light of faith, and the wise men, allowing all the while that those who are always seeking may sometimes end up in the wrong places. But, like the stellar cast offered to us today, we can trust that it is always possible to reorient ourselves and for God’s grace to lead us in the right direction. The truth is that our journey will not end on this earth, but we cannot do better than spend our lifetime here seeking.
