Who awes the Wise Men?

Yesterday was Epiphany and the Gospel from the Mass (Matt 2:1-12) reveal an amazing story of the Magi who are totally impressed by Jesus Christ.

From the reading, consider:

• They were Magi (Wise Men) – Certainly they were very learned men who had advanced knowledge of astronomy.   And through their study, they became aware of a Savior who was to be born in Bethlehem.  We should assume that these Wise Men were no fools.
• They traveled a long way – Something important was compelling them to travel a long distance.  Traveling in those days was arduous (long days on foot or camel) and dangerous (thieves and bandits).
• They were impressive themselves – Obviously, these weren’t run of the mill travelers.  King Herod the ruler not only agreed to meet with them, but believed them when they were traveling to find the new born “King of the Jews.”
• They had wealth – The Magi not only had the ‘cash’ to make a difficult and long trip, but they had plenty of resources to be able to offer Mary and Joseph and the Baby expensive gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
• They were heroic – God not only chose the Magi through the call to attend to His Son, but warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.  These were very special chosen ones of God.  And they heroically chose to cooperate, risking the wrath of Herod.

You can tell a lot about the impressiveness of someone by those who consider that person impressive.  By any measure, the Magi were very impressive people in their day.  And they were totally impressed by Jesus Christ.

For an outstanding catechesis on the Magi, see Monsignor Charles Pope’s typically impressive article here.