麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Fr Dermot Preston, part of the Jesuit Mission to St Dominic's Roman Catholic Church, Newcastle

Good Morning.

The Wise Men are buried in Germany.

You don鈥檛 believe me?

Well, in the year 328, the Empress Helena toured the Holy Land and was convinced that mummified remains presented to her were genuine relics of The Wise Men. She dispatched the precious objects to her son in Byzantium, the Emperor Constantine, who in turn sent them to a basilica in Milan where they were venerated for 800 years until when they were looted by Barbarossa who gave them as a gift to the Archbishop of Cologne in 1164.

So above-&-behind the high altar in Cologne Cathedral today, you will find the Shrine containing those very same relics from Empress Helena.

If the relics are those of The Wise Men it is fitting they journeyed afar after their deaths, as they are the premier travellers of the Christmas story.

As Matthew tells us鈥�
鈥淚n the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 鈥榃here is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.鈥� 鈥�

Matthew uses the Greek word 鈥楳agi鈥�, which is sometimes translated as 鈥楰ings鈥� or 鈥榃ise Men鈥�, but it derives from Persian and is best translated here as astrologers or astronomers. We get the English word 鈥楳agic鈥� from the same occult language roots.

Matthew contrasts these open-hearted foreigners with the closed religious authorities in Jerusalem. The Magi were humble enough to recognise their knowledge was incomplete and, with eyes still open, they saw changes in the heavens and set out in search of truth 鈥� and were overwhelmed with joy when they found it.
Lord: grant me humility and an open heart as I journey with you and search for truth.

Amen

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