kings to discover the new-born Saviour. This was by no means encouraging for the wise men, but they remained steadfast, and did not suffer their firm faith to be shaken. As a reward for their constancy, the wonderful star re-appeared, and led them to the house where the Child Jesus and His Mother had found a lodging. There, in a poor dwelling, they beheld a little Child with His poor and humble Maiden-Mother; and inspired by divine grace they threw themselves on their knees and, full of a living faith, worshipped this infant as their God and Saviour. “ Would they have done this”, asks St. Augustine, “if they had not recognised Him as the Eternal King?”
True correspondence with grace. When our Lord was born, the angels sang: “Peace on earth to men of good will!” Now the Magi were men of good will. They co-operated with grace, and therefore obtained peace and salvation. How did the three wise men correspond with grace? It was grace which made them see the star and understand its meaning. No doubt many other wise men in the East understood that the star indicated the Birth of the Messias; but they did not stir to obey its divine invitation to seek for the Messias. But these three did obey the invitation of grace, and, leaving home and friends, undertook the far journey to Judaea. By corresponding faithfully with this first grace, they obtained the further one of learning in Jerusalem the place where the Messias was born. And because they believed the prophecy of Micheas and went to Bethlehem, God not only showed them the way to the Child’s abode, but illuminated them interiorly, so that they understood the mystery of the Incarnation, and worshipped the Child Jesus with divine worship. They so faithfully preserved this faith in the Divine Saviour that, according to a trustworthy tradition, they were counted worthy to suffer martyrdom for their faith, and are venerated as Saints by the Church. All this should impress upon us the important doctrine that the more a man co-operates with the grace given to him, the more worthy will he be to receive further and greater graces from God.
The indifference shown by the chief priests and scribes is almost inconceivable. They received through the wise men certain tidings of the wonderful star, and they knew accurately the prophecies about the Redeemer; but they did not co-operate with the grace received, and did not stir a foot to seek the Messias. They showed the wise men where the Messias was to be found, but they themselves remained at home. They waited for the Saviour to come to them; and when, later on, He did come to them, they would not receive Him, because He was poor and humble, but persecuted Him and nailed Him to the Cross!
Pride is a capital sin. Herod formed the cruel resolve to kill the Messias; and it was his pride, ambition and envy which led to this horrible design. In order to attain more surely his evil end, he dissembled and lied to the wise men, saying that he also wished to worship the Child. Lies and hypocrisy have been from the beginning the weapons used against Christ and His Church.
