![]() ![]() A star that bright lead them to expect a powerful King. Following a star would have been dangerous, but something they just had to do. ![]() Watching and studying the stars was their job, their life. Most of the time it is simply to tell others of how they can be friends with God too. ![]() Be prepared for a wonderful adventure! He will always give a task as well. When God makes himself seen (like the angel to Mary, then Joseph, and the star to the Magi, or a new understanding when we are praying), it is his way of telling us he notices us. Paul Keller gave us two words to remember: seen and sent. We are all invited to say ‘yes’ to that friendship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The journey back to The Father began with the birth of Jesus. Jesus came to save all of us! God the Father sent Jesus to bring all of us together like in the garden of Eden. That means that the wall between Jews and Gentiles was to be broken down by this baby boy. Who Jesus was and what he was to do was made known to outsiders before it was clear to the Jewish priests. That meant not just the Children of Israel, the Jewish people, but also those not Jewish, the ‘outsiders’, the Gentiles, us! This was huge. Matthew wanted us to know that Jesus is the King of kings and was to be worshipped by all. So, they came from far away, they studied the stars, and were possibly priests, which meant, (wait for it), they were not Jews. It is understood that there were at least three wise men, because of the three gifts that they offered. He tells us “wise men from the East” or some translations use “Magi”, followed a star that lead them to the house where Mary and Jospeh lived with Jesus. Now let’s look at Matthew’s gospel, which is the only gospel that tells this story. That moment when you suddenly understand something that was not clear before. It means a “showing forth” or an understanding of something not seen or noticed before. Until then, Epiphany was a ‘big deal’ of the Church year. A fun trivia: Did you know that Easter and Epiphany along with Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles) were the early Church’s biggest celebrations? Christmas was added about 300 years later when Constantine, (legalized Christianity), was Roman Emperor. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Verse: (Matt 2:2) We observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay homage to the Lord. Lord, Every nation on earth will adore You. Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.Fr Paul Keller C.M.F, Advent Parish Mission, 2022,.The Claretian Missionaries-USA-Canada Province.The Parish Bulletin-Click on Image For Full View. ![]()
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