Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.January 06, 2020
Photo by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash

Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Google Play
Join our Patreon Community

In my hometown church in Plymouth Meeting, a small town outside of Philadelphia, is a huge stained-glass window of the Visit of the Wise Men. It’s not surprising that it would be there, since the church is called Epiphany of Our Lord. The immense window stands over the entranceway, and it’s impossible not to notice it when you leave the church. There are the three Wise Men, in vividly colored robes, kneel before Mary and Joseph, who are likewise wearing brightly colored garments. In Mary’s lap sits the Infant Jesus, in a white robe, hands outstretched in blessing, with a corona of rays emanating from him. In the background the Star of Bethlehem hovers over a wooden manger in which two oxen stare out, or stare down, at the viewer. Maybe the visit of the Wise Men happened exactly as depicted. On the other hand, maybe it happened in a slightly different way. It’s hard to say with much certainty. Why? Well, the Magi appear only in the Gospel of Matthew, not in other infancy narrative in the Gospel of Luke, nor are they mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. 

But however it happened, it surely is a sign of how the message of Christ’s birth is meant for everyone, not just people in Judea, not just people in Palestine, and not even just the Jewish people. The Wise Men symbolize the message being accepted and proclaimed by all the world. The end of Mathew’s Gospel ends with the Risen Lord’s command to “make disciples of all the Gentiles,” that is, the non-Jews. So from the beginning of his earthly life to the end, we are reminded that the message of Jesus is for all. So one question to meditate on this week: How have you proclaimed the message of Christ to those who may not be expecting to hear it?

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A child wounded in an I.D.F. bombardment is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on March 25. (AP Photo/Ismael abu dayyah)
While some children have been evacuated from conflict, more than 1.1 million children in Gaza and 3.7 million in Haiti have been left behind to face the rampaging adult world around them.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2024
Easter will not be postponed this year. It will not wait until the war is over. It is precisely now, in our darkest hour, that resurrection finds us.
Stephanie SaldañaMarch 28, 2024
The paradox at the heart of Christianity is that we must die in order to live again. And few movies witness to that truth like “Romero” (1989).
John DoughertyMarch 28, 2024
History has ignored Joanna, as it has most of the other women who followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and provided for him and the Twelve “from their resources” (Lk 8:2-3).
Robert P. MaloneyMarch 28, 2024