Sorry this is out of order, I missed this one my previous uploading time. This should be the homily after the Sunday after Christmas. My notes for this homily are as follows:
Review Benedict’s Book – “Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives”
Who are the Magi
One of four possibilities – Persian Priestly class, possessors and users of supernatural knowledge and ability, magicians, or deceiver and seducers
A further explanation given for the first possibility, as the others seem more self-explanatory: The Persian priestly class were seen as the “rulers of a distinctive religion” but their religious ideas and practices were heavily influenced by philosophy, so much so that Greek philosophers were thought to be students of the Magi.
We are also given an example of the last possibility (deceiver and seducers) in the New Testament: Bar-Jesus in Acts 13:10, of whom Paul describes as “son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness.”
On this point, Benedict says this, “The ambivalence of the concept of Magi that we find here illustrates the ambivalence of religion in general. It can become the path to true knowledge, the path to Jesus Christ. But when it fails, in his presence, to open up to him and actually opposes the one God and Savior, it becomes demonic and destructive.”
In other words, religion (especially natural religions) can become a source of knowledge of God – the one who created all. Think of Socrates and Aristotle, who concluded that only one God would have existed instead of having multiple gods. Or it can oppose that reality and necessity of humility before that God and instead try to usurp God’s power and authority for their own – and thus become in service to Satan who reacted the same way.
Back to the Magi who came to see Jesus: Benedict sees them as being ranked in the first class – even if not practicing as a priests, they were keepers of religious and philosophical knowledge
But he also sees them as people who were already searching for something when they encountered the star and the other signs pointing to the reality of the Messiah being born. Just seeing the star by itself wouldn’t have revealed the Messiah being born.
This also reveals to us that God used other sources, besides his chosen people, to offer prophecies about the coming redemption of humanity. The whole world awaits this redemption, the whole world speaks to the need for it, and thus it is open to all who inhabit the world…God desires all to be in union with Him.
So, what does this mean for us here today? First, it should continue to open our hearts to see the greatness of God. To see his plan unfold throughout all of History. Second, it should allow a greater openness to seeing God’s plan work in our own lives. That we need to look beyond how we expect God to work in our lives. We need to place our selves humbly before him in gratitude for his work in our redemption, in gratitude for the blessings we have received, in gratitude for bringing good out of our sufferings or failings or shortcomings – that he doesn’t just allow that evil to be the end – he offers us something more because of it.
And thirdly, this knowledge of the revelation of God to all humanity, both his chosen people and the gentiles, should inspire us to accept his invitation to come before Him, to truly get to know Him. To spend time with Him in prayer, especially through his presence in the Eucharist. For if we do not know Christ, do not know God, neither will he recognize us.
May we spend our lives in noticing that the greatness of God is not so great and overbearing that he forces us to follow him, but that he invites us to follow him, invites us to share in the Unity he shares as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and may that unity bring us to share in the greatest share of seeing the Trinity – God – as He is.
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