Child
of Light
“Where
is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East, and
came to adore him.”
Matthew
2:2
In
Western Christianity, today is the holy day of Epiphany, when the
Magi visited Jesus and presented him with gifts. There are many
legends about the Magi: they were descendants of Adam and Eve's son
Seth, they were Kings of Persia, Syria, and Ethiopia, they were
Persian priests of the Zoroaster caste who studied the stars for
signs of change on Earth; they came all the way from China, and
numbered twelve, not three. In the middle-ages they were given names:
Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. They were thought to represent the
three ages of man: youth, middle-age, and elderly. One thing that
remains the same in all legends is the gifts they brought: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh—gifts traditionally given to a king. Gold,
of course, for its value, frankincense as a sacred incense, and
myrrh, an anointing oil or perfume. The Magi were the first gentiles
to acknowledge the “anointed one.”
The
word 'epiphany' is also used to describe a moment in which we
suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way.
Sometimes it represents a turning point; an illuminating realization
that changes the whole trajectory of one's life. What the two uses of
the word have in common is “illumination.” The Magi followed a
very bright star to a “star child” or child of light; and we
experience a sudden, brilliantly lit scene, understanding, or idea
that reveals truth with utter clarity.
We
are told in Matthew, that the Magi returned home “by another road.”
In other words, they were changed, and they changed directions after
seeing the Christ Child. When we experience an epiphany, we often
take another route, too. We realize, as they did, that there is no
turning back, no returning to life as usual, once we've seen the
light. It changes us and we must incorporate that change into a new
way of being in the world.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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