Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for Epiphany.
“We have come to do Him homage”
January 3, 2021
“Where is the newborn King? …We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.” -Mt 2:3
King Herod was deeply agitated by these words of the Magi; so much so that all Jerusalem was agitated with him. How different was Herod’s response from that of the Magi! When the Magi saw the star, they rejoiced and made plans at once to travel wherever it would lead. Pope Benedict XVI said of them, “The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin a journey. It was as though they had always been waiting for that star.”
Waiting is what the Magi had in common with one another, what bound them together as friends and more. Each of them was convinced there was something more important in life than money, fame, or power. When each discovered that he was not alone in his longing for something more to life, he knew he had found true brothers who shared his commitment to keep waiting until God fulfilled their longing. So, one night when a star unlike any other appeared in the sky, they shared the conviction that it would lead them to the Creator of the stars, and above all to the God and King whom their restless hearts yearned to see and to adore.
Not counting the cost, as a band of brothers united in hope, they left all else behind and promised one another not to stop until they arrived at the fulfillment of their hearts’ desire. Arriving in Jerusalem, however, they were shocked to discover that King Herod’s heart moved in the opposite direction of theirs. Instead of joyful anticipation, Herod felt threatened, insecure and was firmly determined to eliminate what he falsely perceived to be a rival to his throne.
How ironic that this earthly leader in Jerusalem angrily rejected the prophecy of Isaiah precisely when it was being fulfilled. Isaiah had said:
“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! 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.”
The Magi danced for joy at hearing Isaiah’s prophecy. But Herod’s heart — set on earthly power and worldly pleasures — bristled in opposition to God’s plan.
And not only Herod, the chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem did the same. Even though they knew from God’s word that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, they had no interest in going with the Magi to worship the promised King and Messiah. Like Herod, the flame of faith had gone out in their souls as well. To the greatest event of human history, they turned their backs, and even helped Herod in his plan to kill the newborn Messiah.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is what can happen if we lose our desire to worship the Lord, if we let the flame of our love of Jesus die. The religious leaders of Jerusalem when Jesus was born had become like the Christians of Laodicea, whom Jesus reproved with the following words (Rev. 3:15ff):
“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you… do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire…”
These tough words of Jesus remain as urgent today as when He first spoke them. We cannot stand idly by when Jesus demands that we make a choice: either to put our trust in Him or to build our house on sand. Jesus tells us: “You cannot serve both God and Mammon.” He demands that we reject the false kingdom proposed by the father of lies and learn from the Magi the wisdom of adoration.
For one reason alone, they traveled across the desert to Jerusalem: they came to kneel and adore the King of the universe.
Arriving in Bethlehem, at the place where Jesus lay, no words did the Magi speak, but they “prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
You and I should make a similar response today when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist: silence, awe and wonder, adoring hearts on fire with love of Christ.
We are told that, after paying homage to the newborn King, they departed for their country by a different route. St. Augustine says that they returned home along a different route because their hearts had been transformed by worshiping Christ. Nothing is the same, after encountering and adoring our blessed Savior.
May you and I never take for granted the great blessing of knowing the King of kings, who created the stars in the heavens, yet who comes to us in the humblest of ways, under the forms of what look like bread and wine.
From the tragic life of King Herod, may we learn what happens if we fail to worship God, how we end up pursuing empty things, filling our lives with created stuff, but without knowing the Creator of all. Our hearts long for more than entertainment, comfortable lifestyles, or worldly success. As St. Augustine said, “You made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
Adoration changed the Magi because, in the end, their journey across the desert was to more than a place; it was to a person, to the Messiah and Savior of the world. So, they could leave that place and still remain in His presence. And so it is with you and me. Like them, may we place all our trust in the Lord Jesus, the only One who deserves to be praised and adored.
