Ihey were overjoyed at seeing the star

6 JANUARY (Mt 2,1-12)

Isaiah’s prophecy contemplates all the nations coming to Jerusalem to worship the one true God of the whole earth. It is a vision all come true in Jesus Christ and his Church, which is essentially Catholic, universal and cosmic.

Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: Your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered for you, the rams of Nebaioth shall be your sacrifices; They will be acceptable offerings on my altar, and I will enhance the splendor of my house. What are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their cotes? All the vessels of the sea are assembled, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your children from afar with their silver and gold, In the name of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Foreigners shall rebuild your walls, and their kings shall be your attendants; Though I struck you in my wrath, yet in my good will I have shown you mercy. Your gates shall stand open constantly; day and night they shall not be closed But shall admit to you the wealth of nations, and their kings, in the vanguard. For the people or kingdom shall perish that does not serve you; those nations shall be utterly destroyed. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you: the cypress, the plane and the pine, To bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the place where I set my feet. The children of your oppressors shall come, bowing low before you; All those who despised you shall fall prostrate at your feet. They shall call you “City of the Lord,” “Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” Once you were forsaken, hated and unvisited, Now I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy to generation after generation. You shall suck the milk of nations, and be nursed at royal breasts; You shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. In place of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver; In place of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron; I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler. No longer shall violence be heard of in your land, or plunder and ruin within your boundaries. You shall call your walls “Salvation” and your gates “Praise.” No longer shall the sun be your light by day, Nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; The Lord shall be your light forever, your God shall be your glory. No longer shall your sun go down, or your moon withdraw, For the Lord will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning shall be at an end. Your people shall all be just, they shall always possess the land, They, the bud of my planting, my handiwork to show my glory. The smallest shall become a thousand, the youngest, a mighty nation; I, the Lord, will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes (Is 60,1-22).

Since his birth Jesus is being presented as the King and the Universal Saviour. However, he is a particular king. In his Person he is God, he is King, and he is the man with the great suffering.

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.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: ‘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.'” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.” 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. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

This vision begins its historic journey on the day of Pentecost and it is unstoppable.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, give us the truth of Jesus.