“There are many candidates for what the magi follow but what is more important is that they meet Jesus Christ, the true light who enlightens all peoples.”

“The Feast is not, primarily, about the visit of the Magi to Jesus; it’s about God’s Visit to us, the Solemn Visit in which the Divine King has let the world see him”

“If we journey to the margins in our society and open our hearts to the people we meet there, I believe we will be led to change course in our own lives, to take action to avoid the injustice-perpetuating plans of the powerful and instead to protect the most vulnerable, that they may have space to flourish and share their gifts with the world”

“We might not have to go far as did the Wise Men, but their persistence can be a source of strength in our quest for healing, be it from illness, loneliness, oppression, addiction or whatever. The star is there; we have only to look for it.”

“They experience the meaning of this feast, which is called Epiphany because it’s when God “showed” Himself to people. The Magi receive God for what he wants to give them. And so God’s light fills their hearts.”

“God is not a god somewhere far off in the heavens and the stars. But no, He is here, in the flesh, on this earth, helpless and in the arms of a humble woman, a modest carpenter by her side, in a dusty, backwater town in the desert”

“Seekers will always be restless in their hearts unless they allow themselves to be drawn into an encounter, and then a living relationship with Christ and his Church”

“Epiphany is the revelation, that baby Jesus is truly God, truly human, and will die for us.”

“We are all on a pilgrimage in our lives to encounter Christ. We are all going to encounter our own “Herods” in our lives...the more we seek Christ, the harder and faster and more relentless he is going to be. We’ve got to know his special tendencies, and then rely on God to help us avoid them, and defend us from them.”

“The Epiphany is the proclamation to those who are not Jews, and whose faith may be far from simple, that they too shall be brought into the presence of God made man”

“Christ is available to all. Whether we are waiting for him, or have not yet responded to the call, he has come for all”

“The Magi came from the land where the sun rises; they had to turn their back on the light in order to come to the true light who is Christ”

“God reveals Himself in the form of a simple child, not only to kings, but to simple shepherds as a sign of His universality”

“this ‘sceptre out of Israel’ arose not to subject all the nations to the rule of Israel, but to submit himself to death at the hands of the most powerful empire that had ever arisen, in order to liberate us all from the rule of any earthly king”

“the visit of the Magi surely anticipates, symbolically, the possibility of mutual interest and exchange among the world’s religious traditions: opening the treasures of their wisdom even if going home by another way”

“the magi gave him gifts in honour of the gift that he was to them, and is to us. These gifts show not that the child Jesus was needy but that we are, who long for this priestly king who gave his life for us”

“The uneducated shepherds were given by angels an elaborate understanding of Jesus Christ: the sophisticated magi were led to more than they reckoned”

“So the Epiphany, as Matthew presents it to us, is not just about the fact that Jesus came for all peoples, but that Jesus came to die for all peoples: to die for their sins”

“When the wise men found Jesus they saw a normal looking baby. They had to make the leap of faith to recognise that he was not only the promised king of the Jews, but God himself”

“the visit of the Magi represents the epiphany, the manifestation of God’s presence in the world, not to the Gentiles as such, but to the human intelligence, which is at once indispensable and desperately dangerous”

“Something's been shown to the whole world, that we have this King of Peace who draws all of us together”

“Once the Lord breaks through into your life savor that moment and follow it all the way to the source of what is true and good and beautiful. That's the best way to respond to an ephiphania, to an epiphany”

“Being attentive to God's presence...has more to do with a way of being in the world that involves openness to the unexpected and a critical and careful, personal and communal dialogue between our life experience and our faith tradition”

“Epiphanies and wisdom are found in the child and the adult. The child in Bethlehem and the adult on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem.”

“No matter the cost, no matter the embarrassment, no matter the difficulty, follow the tug of Christ which is leading you to eternal life and to the things of God”

“Let's overcome this old mythology of the war between religion and science. Science at its best is revered by religion and religion is the proper source and goal of all the sciences.”

“Who's that baby? The manifestation of the divine love which made the whole universe and which seeks us out with the passion of a mother or a father...Finally our spiritual seeking must give way, must surrender, and must allow itself to be found.”

“the magi stand for this coming together, a properly constituted reason which knows how to surrender itself to the source of all reason”

“these magi they left their home country and came back changed. Why? Because they had found a king who made them citizens of a nation that was greater than their own nation”

“The church is the great international organism anticipated by the magi who come to Christ at the beginning”

“The more you surrender to Christ Jesus, the more you break open the coffers of your heart, the more your life will be transformed and revolutionized”

“the journey of magi, Christians, is our journey. Five steps I pointed out, first, be attentive...Secondly, when you see the sign of Christ go for it...Thirdly, expect opposition on the way...Fourthly, when you come to Christ give him your best...Finally, expect that you will be different”

“As we put Christmas away (or at least think about putting it away), a question emerges, “What is different because of my celebration of the Incarnation this Christmas?””

“Are we able, like the Magi, to follow the heavenly signs and see God’s hand at work in the world?...Can we humbly accept that we do not always understand the mystery of a Messiah who challenges us to care for the poor and oppressed?”

“They, including King Herod, did not understand that Jesus was to be a Spiritual King, a spiritual ruler. His spiritual Kingdom was to BEGIN in Judea with his birth, but it was not about politics. It was about faith based on a trusting, obedient relationship with God”

“it seems Jesus lived in the same world, the same darkness, as I live in”

“We cannot claim to be lovers of God when we openly demonstrate hatred for other brethren who do not share the same belief with us. Diversity is not contrary to unity, rather it enriches unity.”

“Epiphany is, in a sense, the kings of the earth bringing wedding gifts to the marriage of human and divine”

“We must transcend our limited horizons and view global challenges as if we were looking down on planet Earth from a spaceship, a panoramic view that reveals one united biosphere not divided by national boundaries”

“We are being challenged today to dream of a better life – a better life for ourselves, for our family, for our society, and to face the painful road of fear that keeps it from happening. Herod wanted control; the Magi were willing to give up control for the sake of their dream.”

“It is through their profound understanding of (and connection to) the natural world that both the Magi and the shepherds were able to read nature’s signs and know God’s revelation.”

“they had received from Christ infinitely more than they had given him: they had received the faith that brings with it the promise of a heavenly homeland”

“The magi went looking for a king and instead found a newborn baby in a stable. But they recognized God’s presence there, just as Mary and Joseph saw God in three seekers of truth who came from a foreign land and a foreign culture, whose religion was not the same as theirs.”

“We believe that the child born in Bethlehem is the truth for which human heart hungers. Like the magi, we need to be attentive to the truth wherever it is to be found”

“Every time God's goodness revealing Christ Jesus touches yet another heart and mind there is a new epiphany”

“Though they didn't realize fully the other nations were in fact hungry and thirsty for the God of Israel”

“Just because you say you want to worship, just because you go to church and say you worship, don't mean you in church”