On this feast Epiphany of the Lord we remember the Magi, Three Kings; they arrived to the Bethlehem to see new King of the Jews. The Magi came to the house where Jesus was with Mary, bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and myrrh. Next they went back to their homes to reveal what they had seen.
We can imagine what might have motivated these Kings to leave their homes and countries to follow the star.
In today’s Gospel we see that Herod has an entirely different motivation. He is greatly troubled by news of the child and feels his position may be in danger. Rather than wanting to reveal the Lord’s presence he would like to get rid of it. He pretended to the magi that he also wanted to pay homage. Fortunately the magi heard the message of danger and returned to their homes and country by another route.
My dear Brothers and Sisters
When we leave Church on Sundays we are called to go home and “make known” what we have heard, seen and received. We are to reveal the very presence of God to our family members. When we leave our houses, we are to take the presence of the Lord with us and be reflections of God to our co-workers, friends and all we meet through the week. We mark our doorways this weekend to help us remember that.
The traditional names of the Magi or Kings were Balthazar, Melchior and Kaspar. We mark above our doorways: K + M + B + 2009 to remind us that in this year of 2009 we are called to reveal the Lords presence as the Magi did two thousand years ago. We can gather as a family and tell the story of Epiphany. We can ask God in our own words to bless us and our families, to remind us that our house is also God’s house, and that when we leave we take God’s presence with us. When people come to visit, they can expect to experience God’s love within our homes as well.
This week we can gather to bless our homes. We can also look at our prejudices and help one another to take another look at the brothers and sisters God calls to be co-heirs and members of the same body. We can strive to make know the presence of the Lord by the way we live our lives. Have a good week!