Today’s Gospel shows the importance of putting in effort and sacrifice for God, as He did for us. The story of the three magi is truly beautiful and moving. The Gospel reading from Matthew tells of the magi, King Herod, and the newborn Jesus Christ.
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.’”
The current king feels threatened to hear the news that a new king is born, so in response, he sends out the magi to Bethlehem to find the infant and bring him word, so that Herod may also “do Him homage.” Though this is what Herod told the magi, he was actually scheming to kill the Newborn King to eliminate a contender to his throne.
After a long, seemingly unending trip, basically reliant on a star, the magi finally find baby Jesus in a house with Mother Mary. Overjoyed that they had at last found Him, they decide to give Jesus gifts of great value: frankincense, gold, and myrrh. After being warned in a dream, they made the decision to not return to Jerusalem and went through another route to go home, avoiding Herod.
In my eyes, God is showing me through the Gospel the importance of worship. These three willing magi were persistent in finding Jesus and they worshipped Him without hesitation. I believe that we should have the same attitude as the magi towards everyday situations, especially in attending Mass. We should heed the call from God to worship and be attentive at all times during the Mass, even if we are tired or we’re just not in the mood. Because, let’s face it: we have all encountered instances where we just don’t feel like going to church. Even so, we should put in our time to worship, no matter how hard the effort. Just think of the three magi; their journey to worship Jesus was long and difficult. We don’t have to take a long trip to Mass.
Worshipping at Mass is a wonderful thing, and when we worship, our day becomes better because the Holy Spirit strengthens our souls, especially after we receive the Eucharist. We please God when we worship and our faith thrives and becomes stronger than before. God has given us a commandment to worship. The third commandment states, “Keep holy the Lord’s day.”
So, taking this Gospel as motivation, let’s consider what the magi did for God, and do the same for Him today. Think about it: God sacrificed His only Son to save us from our sins. He has done so much for us. Let’s do the same for Him and give Him the worship He deserves. There is a saying “you get what you give,” but when you give to God, you get a whole lot more.
~ Evangeline de la Fuente Pabalan
Evangeline is a 7th grade student at Pope John Middle School. She serves as a lector at St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton.