The Wisemen were seekers of knowledge in a world where the physical sciences were unknown. It is easy to dismiss such seekers by thinking of them as astrologers or magicians, but that would be wrong. Much of what we call WISDOM LITERATURE in the Old Testament was written by people like them who were trying to figure out the human condition and the meaning of life.
It is strange that for all of our modern knowledge we are still trying to figure those things out. One look at the world today tells us that we have miles to go in doing just that. If we have gained so much wisdom about our world and ourselves, how is it that starvation, violence, poverty and yes - even loneliness still haunts us.
The Wisemen of scripture probably knew they would never find all the answers, but in the Christ child they saw a solution to most of the problems that plague human kind. We don’t need the wisdom that the Wisemen were seeking, but we do need the Christ that they found for in Him wisdom and grace come together. With God’s grace and the wisdom of Jesus Christ no problem is insurmountable, but as God the Father reminds us, who speaks of the Israelites in the Old Testament, our hearts must be opened to Jesus the Savior.
May the grace of God and the wisdom of our Lord guide us, and our parish, in the New Year… May we be a source of blessing and hope to the world!