|  | Caspar, Balthasar, Melchior. These “three kings of Orient are” found, complete with crowns and camels |
| |
|
| | despite the many years and different human authors, the texts were inspired by the same Divine Author, the Holy Spirit. |
| |
|
| | Isaiah (Is 60:1-6), it is predicted that at a time of darkness, the glory of the Lord will shine over Jerusalem. The heavenly light will be a beacon to the pagan nations and even to their kings. Here we find mention of camels whose job it will be to bring the wealth of these nations, including frankincense and gold, to the city of the Lord. |
| |
|
| | Psalm 72 agrees that far off kings will bring gifts to the Son of David. |
| |
|
| | tradition of the Church has always seen the story of the Magi as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and Psalm 72. |
| |
|
| | Myrrh, an aromatic resin, was used in preparing the dead for burial. Gold reveals that the babe in the manger is actually a king; frankincense tells us that is he God incarnate; myrrh tells us that he has come to die. |
| |
|
| | This was the really hard thing for those living in Jesus’ time to comprehend–that the same person who fulfilled all those prophecies about a glorious new king also fulfilled the prophecies about a suffering servant. |
| |
|
| | three gifts of the Magi are necessary to convey the true revelation, the true epiphany of who this child is and what he is destined to do. |
| |
|
| | ancient feast of the Epiphany actually celebrates three events, tied together by the meaning of the word epiphany as “appearance” or “manifestation.” |
| |
|
| | Jesus suddenly appears as who He really is–messiah and God–to the Magi, at Cana when he works his first miracle, and when he is baptized in the Jordan. |
| |
|
| | In the early Church, Epiphany was therefore second only to Easter vigil as the time to celebrate the sacrament of baptism. Blessed water from those baptisms were used to bless the dwellings of the faithful, and it became customary to write over the doorposts of blessed homes “C+B+M” meaning “Christ blesses this house (Christus bendicat mansionem).” |
| |
|
| | Since the three kings were also remembered at the same time, someone decided to give them names, and to use CBM as their initials–Caspar, Balthasar, and Melchior. |
| |
|
| | They follow the true Star, the King of Kings. Only His name is important. Epiphany is not about the Magi–it’s all about Jesus. |
|
