When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
Matthew 2:1-2
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
Matthew 2:1-2
All week long I've been thinking about the Wise Men. At St Mary's they travel the width of the Sanctuary beginning with the Christmas liturgies, and arriving at the creche on the Feast of the Epiphany. An altar server pointed them out to me on Christmas Eve - they were underneath the table that holds the Sacramentary. By the Feast of the Holy Family (last weekend) they had made it to the right side of the Main Altar. When I went to Mass on January 1st they were at the left side of the altar. As I write this, it is Friday, and although I haven't been in church today, I would guess they are in front of the Ambo. I am confident by the time I arrive for the 5pm Mass tomorrow they will have made it. It's a long journey for those folks!
All kidding aside, the real journey they made was long and arduous. I'm fairly certain that when they set out in the beginning, they did not expect their final destination to be at the home of a poor Jewish family.
I've also been thinking about the word "homage" this week. I went to the dictionary to look up exactly what it means. The transitive verb definition states that homage is to pay reverence to by an external action. That's what the Wise Men did - they prostrated themselves, laid face down on the ground, to show their reverence for Jesus. This got me thinking - how do we do homage to God today? It's clear to see how our culture pays homage to movie stars, athletes, and the very wealthy, but what do we do for God? Do we come to Mass solely out of a sense of obligation or do we go with the intent of homage? I think one of the best ways we can do homage to God is to live the life that He intended us to live. Not that it's easy, or that we'll end up living what we expect - just like the journey of the Wise Men.
How do you do homage to the newborn king?
Please share your thoughts with us by posting a comment.
I have not the faith of a mustard seed, but I have come to believe at 57 that the ONLY hope for the world lies in Jesus Christ, and so everyday I am less a man of the world and more a follower of our Lord. Thank you Jesus for my blessings today and always.
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