In antiquity, as today very often people read the stars in earthly realities. The sky was an echo or a premonition of events on earth.
For us Christians of 2010 who do not read in the stars, the text of the Gospel of Matthew - that is the word of God - can become a star can guide us to the child, King of the Jews, the son of God.
Do not seek the truth of this text with the microscope of exegesis, we would be as foolish as that seek the flavor of a good wine by analyzing its molecules. In this text, it is given us to enjoy, is the divinity, the divine reality of the child of Mary. Let us therefore
exegetes, but in the etymological sense, the seeker.
Precisely, the Magi seek. These are men under open. They are competent in their field and they can read in the stars. It seems today that it is their expertise. They are all our human expert, biologist, engineer, teacher, gardener, each according to his craft.
And they receive in their field of knowledge a clear sign, or rather a clear direction. They know what it is: a king is born King of the Jews. The event is very important for them as they set off to the king of the Jews, the ones who are not Jewish territory deu.
All fathers of the Church and the whole liturgy will see the call of Christ to the Gentiles. The Jewish prophets had announced: all nations shall come to thy light, Jerusalem. And St. Paul to the Romans read the mission in this sense: the mystery hidden since the beginning of ages is that pagans are associated with the same inheritance.
They start walking, then, to come to the Church, like us.
Stop. Step in Jerusalem. GPS has stopped working. We must ask the road to locals, the locals, those who know.
And indeed, the Jews know well in advance, all that. No need to star for them, if not a symbol "A star rises, it will be the Messiah," says the prophet Micah. No need
star since "they have the word of God.
But they do not rise
They do not come running
Why? Because they have less desire to see the child mages.
Mages are animated by a strong desire to see the child with such a star!
Herod is rather anxious to see him dead. They never accept to recognize him as King. They will see death. They contemplate that they have pierced. Why? What a comfortable niche they have arranged for their little lives where there is merely submitting to body and property, money and power, consumption and égopïsme ... What little niche aménageons Us Are we, the regulars of the Church or Christian walk? In
walk guided by a double star: the word of Die guide us in the Bible, Church, the liturgy combined with our expertise, our skills of men and women, our family and social life, professional associations and
finish our exegesis. Mages voint child and prostrate. They made the leap of faith. Gold, frankincense and myrrh, say that this child is mortal man and eternal God.
Will we do so when the priest raises the host, son of god died and rose again?
End Table text: the return. It does not revert by Jerusalem, abandon circumcision rites and thousands of the Act, we take another path, other rites, simpler and more transparent. We consume the body of Christ and we return to our home, our occupations, our profession, but by another way, the child explained the steps we have a treasure to be distributed is made of gold and shares, myrrh and compassion, Incense and respect for everyone he ever met us. Now sharing, compassion myrrh, frankincense respect due to God himself, granted by us Christians, every man we meet.
