Offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh

MONDAY 6 JANUARY (Mt 2,1-12)

Jesus is not the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Blessing, the Grace, the Truth and the Light of one people or one nation. He comes to give eternal life to every man. As He is the universal Mediator in creation, so he is the universal Mediator in salvation and redemption. Eternal life is given for Him, but also in Him and with Him. However, it is not Jesus who made himself the Saviour and the Redeemer of man, but it is his Father who constituted him, wanted him and gave him: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (Jn 3,13-18). The Father gave only his Only Son to be the Blessing, the Life, the Grace and the Truth for all peoples. This truth, which is absolute and universal, is today attacked by an army of piranhas with a voracious desire for destruction, demolition and elimination. This army is determined for everything. It wants to destroy, overthrow, crucify and bury Christ Jesus in order to bury humanity in a falsehood from which there might never be a return, because the only truth of humanity is Christ. The Magi reveal us two very high truths. The first reveals to us that even if the world does not see in the star the sign given by God, even if Herod, the Scribes and Jerusalem do not move to go to Bethlehem, they persevere in their search and do not let themselves either be confused or even less be dissuaded. They walk on their own way. They seek and find. On this journey they are not alone. The star is with them.

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.

Instead, the second truth reveals to us who the King they are looking for is for them. This truth is contained in the gifts they offer to the born King of the Jews. Gold is the sign of royalty. They are before the King of all peoples, their King, who was not constituted by himself, but by his Father, who is the true and living God, the Creator and the Lord of man and of the universe, of heaven and earth. The incense attests that this King is also God. However, he is not a man who became God. Instead, he is the God who became man. This descent of the Eternal word in the flesh, assumed as the essence of his Person, was also desired by the Father. Nothing happens in Christ, nothing is Christ except by the will of his Father. The third gift is myrrh, a bitter ointment. It reveals the great suffering, fruit of his holocaust for the redemption of humanity. Suffering was freely assumed by Christ Jesus, however, it was the fruit of his obedience to the Father until his death on the cross. Today the Magi must teach us to seek Jesus in a world that not only does not seek Christ, but does not want him and with satanic intent seeks his destruction.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that every Christian becomes a true seeker of Christ.