The Mystical Geek

This should be an entry for Bible Notes but due to the inaccessibility of the website, I post it here.

Given the present situation, when the peoples of South East Asia and the Pacific Rim are still reeling from the recent tsunami disaster that wiped out a lot of lives, how can one preach about wisdom, a guiding star and three seekers of the Truth?  For this is the theme of tomorrow's feast.  The feast of the Three Kings is a recollection of the Lord's manifestation to the peoples as the guiding star of their lives.  Three wise men, three teachers of wisdom look for guidance from a star that leads them to a small insignificant village in Palestine.  In the book of Deuteronomy, God told the Israelites that if they obey His laws and decrees they will be known as a people that is wise.  Isaiah foretold a time when all those who seek direction for their lives will stream towards Mt. Sion, the place where God will teach all men how to live.  In Matthew's narration of the Lord's Epiphany, there is no Mt. Sion; there is a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes seated on its mother's lap.

"Mary, Seat of Wisdom" we pray in the litany.  Not many realize that this title points to the visit of the Magi.  Wisdom was presented to the three seekers of truth seated on the lap of the Woman who pondered God's Word in her heart.  As we stand immersed in the woes and sufferings of the tragedy that we have recently seen, what good can we possibly derive from Him who is Truth?  What lesson can we grasp from Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar as they bring gifts from their own land to the one who is "the light that shines upon every man that is born"?  For the Truth is also Life-Giving.  Wasn't it Peter who said "Your Word, O Lord, is both Spirit and Life"? 

We are in the dark, Lord.  Many of us agonize over the death of a loved one, or the loss of someone dear.  Many of us have stared Death in the face.  Many of us are afraid.  As we celebrate the feast of Your Epiphany, show us the meaning of the events that have recently made us feel the frightening power of the waves of death.  Console our people, Lord. Help us to raise our heads once more and hope in the certainty of your promises.