Mass Readings Audio
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The Epiphany of the Lord – January 3, 2021

Merry Christmas and welcome to the one hundred and forty-fifth episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for The Epiphany of the Lord. How lucky for us that this year we had our own “Christmas Star” appear just as it did for the Magi. Although NASA said that the planetary conjunction happening on the same day as the winter solstice is merely a coincidence, I’d like to believe that the Creator of the heavens and earth arranged it to turn our attention toward heaven, so that, this Christmas season our sights would appropriately be set on him.

The Visit of the Magi

Our Gospel reading this Sunday told the story of The Visit of the Magi. As astrologers or astronomers, the Magi were watching the sky for signs from God. Upon seeing “his star,” (Mt 2:2), (not just any star, but his star,) they recognized in it the appearance of a new king in Israel because there was an ancient belief that a new star designated a ruler’s birth. So, they set out to find him and when they arrived in Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2:2)

What Are You Seeking?

When Scripture scholars explain the meaning of Matthew’s short narrative, they will make note of the fact that Herod and the Jewish elite, who had been awaiting the Messiah, totally missed what happened in Bethlehem. In his book, Joy to the World: How Christ’s Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does), Scott Hahn writes, “The chief priests were busy with earthly matters in places far from Bethlehem. King Herod and his court were otherwise occupied with their intrigues and indulgences… The religious insiders of Herod’s kingdom missed out on Christmas. But outsiders came from afar to pay homage.”

The Magi weren’t Jews, yet they traveled afar to find this Jewish king. Herod, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in the arrival of the true king, the Messiah. Rather, he was preoccupied with protecting the title “King of Judea” that had been granted to him. He was obsessed with maintaining his appointed power and claiming the honor of the Messiah for himself. The Magi were seeking the truth and Herod was obsessed with hiding it and hiding from it.

Competing Visions

In a homily about this Gospel, Bishop Barron explained that these are “Two very different visions of life and what is important to look for. Herod does not welcome the alignment of heaven and earth. His eyes are fixed on his petty corner of the Roman empire. Whereas the Magi are seeing with spiritual eyes. These two visions are permanently at odds. The ‘Herods’ of the world (and they still exist) will always seek to obstruct, will always persecute, will always seek to destroy the ‘Magi’ of the world. So, as you are seeking Christ, expect opposition. You’ll always get it from the ‘Herods’ of this world.”

When I listen to this Scripture passage, I prefer to associate myself with the Magi, but if I’m honest with myself, I have to recognize that there is a little bit of Herod in me too. I am seeking God and at the same time preoccupied with things of this world—things that obstruct my vision of life and of what is important. These two selves are at odds with each other. So, which one will I allow to guide my life? Which one will direct my decisions and behaviors?

Competing Visions in the Workplace

When I work with companies on strategic planning, I typically begin with visioning exercises by asking, “Is your future a function of what you do now? Or is what you do now a function of how you view your future?” They usually realize that the answer to both questions is “yes” and the importance of having the right vision.

Then, I’ll follow up by asking, “If you keep doing what you are doing now, where will you be in five years?” If they are happy with the answer, they don’t need me. They can just keep doing what they are doing. However, if the answer is not where they’d like to be, we visualize the desired outcome and develop the plan to close the gap.

Your vision, what you are seeking in business and in life is important because what you do now is a function of how you view your future. But sometimes we get so caught up in what we are doing now, we fail to step back and see where it is taking us, or we aren’t willing to do what it takes to change course.

Opening Your Treasures

The Magi lifted their eyes to the heavens and were seeking God. After asking for directions, they made their way to Bethlehem and “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..” (Mt 2:10-11)

Over the years, I’ve heard many explanations of the significance of the Magi’s gifts. In his book, Dr. Scott Hahn writes “Christians have long pondered the meaning of the Magi’s gifts. The great Scripture scholar of the third century, Origen of Alexandria said succinctly: ‘Gold as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God.’ The symbolism makes the gifts particularly suitable to the baby who was at once king, man, and God.”

But this year, as I pondered the significance of these gifts, I thought more about what they meant to the Magi and what they signify to us. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were their treasures and I think they also represent things that we treasure.

Wealth, Pleasure, Power, and Honor

Gold symbolizes our pursuit of wealth. Wealth itself is morally neutral, but what we do with our wealth becomes our moral choices. It becomes harmful when the pursuit of wealth becomes an obstruction to the pursuit of God. The challenge for us is whether the Herod or the Magi in us will guide these decisions. Am I willing to open my treasures and offer all of my wealth to the Lord, or just what is left over? I’ve got some work to do on this one. How about you?

Frankincense symbolizes our pursuit of pleasure. It is an aromatic spice that can be enjoyed for its fragrance and brings pleasure to the senses. Again, pleasure in itself is morally neutral, but why and how we pursue pleasure become our moral choices. Pleasure can never fully satisfy us and when it becomes an obstacle to the pursuit of God, it is harmful. Will the Herod or the Magi in us guide these decisions? Am I willing to forgo pleasure and offer it as a sacrificial gift to the Lord? I’ve got some work to do on this one too. How about you?

Finally myrrh, which has traditionally been the oil used in the anointing of kings, symbolizes our pursuit of power and honor. Myrrh is also used in the chrism oil that is used in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. While we should honor all who are Baptized, Confirmed, and Ordained, honor is not what the Baptized, Confirmed and Ordained should be seeking.

On November 28, 2020, Pope Francis elevated 13 bishops to the position of Cardinal. In his homily, the pope said, “Thinking about the many types of corruption in priestly life, the scarlet of a Cardinal’s robes, which is the color of blood, can, for a worldly spirit, become the color of a secular ‘eminence’.” Such a person he warned “will no longer be the pastor close to the people. You will feel that you are only ’eminence’. When you feel that, you are off the road of the Lord.”

Corruption exists in priestly and religious life, in political life, in business life or in whatever life we may be called to serve. When seeking power and honor, we become divided. The Herod in us is obstructing the Magi in us, who is seeking to do homage to Christ through the vocation we have been called to. Which one will guide our decisions? Am I willing to fully submit to the will of God in my vocation with no strings attached? Once again, I’m working on this one. How about you?

Witnesses of Joy

On Saturday, I attended the (online) Profession of Perpetual Vows of two brothers in the Brotherhood of Hope. Like the Magi, these two men also prostrated themselves before the Lord and offered him three gifts: their gifts were chastity, poverty, and obedience. These two young men, holding nothing back, offered their first fruits to the Lord saying, “All of this is yours. You can do whatever you want with this. I put no conditions on these gifts. I just want to live for you, to bless your Church and bless your Kingdom.” And the witnesses were overjoyed by their commitment to live only for the Lord.

No Going Back

I don’t think anyone was thinking about what these two men had given up. Rather, we were overjoyed by the greater good that is to be claimed by Jesus Christ, to belong to him, and to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord that will be a lifetime pursuit. There is no going back, only forward in Christ.

After encountering the child Jesus, the Magi did not regret what they had given him, nor did they go back the way they came, instead “departed for their country by another way.” (Mt. 2:12)

You and I cannot go back to who we were before we knew Christ. No one ever comes to Christ and goes back the way he came. The whole purpose is transformation. What’s the point if we’re just going back or remaining the same?

When working with companies who are seeking to transform their culture, they also find another way. It means letting go of those things that are obstacles to the future they want. The whole point is transformation which means leaving their old ways behind in exchange for the greater good that lies ahead. This is why a clear vision of the better future is so critical. It allows you to exchange what you have for the greater good that you want.

So, as this Christmas season comes to a close, let us ask God to help us leave the Herod in us behind so we can live as the Magi, honoring the Lord and turning over to him those things of this world that we treasure.

Let’s pray.

Father, you have given us the greatest gift in your only begotten Son. Help us follow the example of the Magi who sought you, honored you, and offered you their treasure. May we freely offer you all that we have and all that we are so that in all that we do, we glorify you by our lives.

May God bless you abundantly this week and throughout this new year and may you always glorify the Lord by your life.

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