Were there really three wise men in the Christmas story?

While the Christmas story only confirms that the Magi offered frankincense, gold, and myrrh to the Christ Child (Matthew 2:11), the exact number of Magi remains unknown.

At the same time, popular tradition identifies the Magi as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. My wife taught me that in Mexican culture, the Magi are depicted riding a horse, a camel, and an elephant.

In music, we hear a beautiful account of the Epiphany. I heard Ariel Ramirez’s Navidad Nuestra last night at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. One of the four selections sang of the Epiphany account:

Llegaron ya los reyes y eran tres: Melchor, Gaspar y el negro Baltazar.
Arrope y miel le llevarán y un poncho blanco de alpaca real.
Changos y chinitas, duérmanse, que ya Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar
Todos los regalos dejarán para jugar mañana al despertar.
El niño Dios muy bien lo agradeció, comió la mile y el poncho lo abrigó.
Y fue después que los miró y a medianoche el sol relumbró.

In English:

Now the kings arrived and they were three: Melchior, Caspar and black Balthazar.
They will bring him jelly and honey and a white poncho of finest alpaca wool.
Boys and girls, go to sleep! Now Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar Will leave all the presents to play with tomorrow when you awake.
The Baby Jesus thanked them very much, ate the honey, and put on the poncho.
And after that he looked at them and at midnight the sun shone forth.

Ramriez provided a creative way of culturally understanding the Epiphany, the closeness of God to a particular culture.

Scholars depict the three Magi as representing the many nations, while others say they represent the stages of life: youth, adulthood, and old age.

These are examples of the charm infused in the Christmas story. These Magi have spent their entire careers seeking the truth. They are the supporting actors in the Epiphany event, which we celebrate today. The truth will be revealed to them most surprisingly.

Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning “appearance” or “manifestation”. God revealed himself to the Magi. God revealed Himself to the world of the Gentiles.

The Epiphany is a journey toward truth. It’s about God’s immense, creative way of breaking down walls and borders to find us. Furthermore, Epiphany is a cosmological event!

The Magi follow the star to find him. In a world where people worship the cosmological deities, Christ proves his power even as a child. He can command the stars so that we might find him.

In his Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI said,

… at the moment when the Magi, guided by the star, adored Christ the new king, astrology came to an end, because the stars were now moving in the orbit determined by Christ.

These Wisemen offered gold for a king, frankincense for the priest, and myrrh for his venerable burial. They were the best gifts they could offer the Savior. What gift can we offer the Christ Child who is born for us today?

The best gift we can offer is our time. Give Jesus the gift of time to find and serve him in the poor, the forgotten, the widow, and the lonely. Find him at the heart of these conversations, and that will make your prayer time at the Nativity scene richer than you can imagine.

Matthew ends the account of the Epiphany with a provocative line:

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way (2:12).

Here are two ideas. First, there are those in the world who still desire to cancel Christ. They are the modern-day Herods. Do not fear them, but be aware of them and entrust them to prayer. Second, all who encounter Christ most surprisingly are changed. They take a new route in life. Finding Christ has given every believer a new horizon.

The feast of the Epiphany is a standard time to take down Christmas decorations. Click here for a prayer you can use before taking down your Christmas decorations and Nativity.

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