The visit of the Magi or the Three Kings

     Today is one of the most important feasts in Christendom as it is the Solemnity of the Lord’s Epiphany or as we remember when we were kids, The Three Kings or the visit of the Magi. You can read this remarkable story in Matt.2:1-12.

“1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Assembling all the Chief Priests and the Scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring the word, that I too may go and do him homage.”

9 After their audience with the King they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11 and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

“They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”

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If you’re wondering what really is the meaning of epiphany, it is simply the divine manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ where we celebrate God becoming man. Yes, Christmas is also an epiphany and when our Lord Jesus Christ performed his first miracle in the wedding in Cana, it was also an epiphany, just as when St. John the Baptist baptized our Lord in the Jordan River, which was also considered an epiphany where the Holy Trinity manifested through the voice of God the Father, with the Holy Spirit that appeared as a dove with our Lord Jesus Christ in their midst. 

Now what about the Magi or as we popularly call them, “The Three Kings?” While the Bible doesn’t tell the whole story about the Magi except that they came from East of Jerusalem, and that could only mean that they came from Jordan, Iraq or Persia. In my book, “The Life of Mary: as seen by the Mystics” written by Raphael Brown, he wrote that the Three Kings, according to tradition, were Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior.

The author took this chapter of the book from Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda who wrote her famous biography of the Blessed Virgin Mary entitled “The Mystical City of God” first published in 1670 and it is widely believed that the Blessed Virgin Mary herself communicated this to Venerable Mary of Agreda. This is one book that I hope that someday I would be able to purchase.

Anyway, back to the Magi as written by Mary of Agreda. She identifies Gaspar as coming from Mesopotamia by the Tigris, Euphrates River that is now in modern-day Iraq. While Balthasar came from Parthia, which is located in Northeastern Iran, while Melchior came from Media or Medes, which is somewhere near Northwestern Iran. So the Bible was correct in identifying the Magi to have come from East of Jerusalem. As the book pointed out, the Three Kings met somewhere in their caravans of more than a hundred people from each kingdom with their relatives and friends.

As we all know, the Three Kings brought three gifts; Gaspar gave gold, while Balthasar gave frankincense and Melchior gave myrrh. What’s the significance of these gifts from the Magi? The gift of gold represents the highest gift that is given to Kings…and we Catholics acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. It is a fitting gift for a King!

Frankincense is incense that priests use in the temple and today our priest’s still use incense during Mass. Its significance to our Lord Jesus Christ is our belief that He is the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. The gift of myrrh was a substance that is used to embalm the dead to neutralize the stench of death. This gift foretells the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ who was born on this earth in order to die for our sins. Finally, the Three Wise Men represented the Gentiles, as they were not Jews. But tradition says that after the Resurrection, they too became Christians, while the Jews, the first-born people of God rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

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