The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-10
The Magi.

ing, and will well repay whatever researches
we may choose to make into its manifold
beauties.
We find in an eloquent work entitled, " De-
votion to the Three Kings" by learned
French Dominican, Father p. NJ Rouard de
Gard, many beautiful explanations concerning
this devotion, which we gladly translate and
adapt for our readers
These holy men are considered as the patrons
of all Travellers because they were the first to
commence that happy voyage which brings MS
to the feet of Jesus
The Fathers of the Church have always con-
sidered them as Kings, to whom were applicable
the words of the Royal Psalmist: "The Kings
of Thaisis and the islands shall offer presents:
the Kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall
bring gifts"
Their number is supposed to be three, in
order to represent, according to the Venerable
Bede, the three stages of life-youth, manhood
and old age, being thus the symbol of humanity
at the foot of the Manager. 1t is supposed that
they came from Arabia, the land of gold, frank
| incense, and myrrh, since these were the gifts
| they brought to their Infant King.
And as all the Eastern nations attach grest
Importance to the significance of gifts, it is in
| teresting to trace the mystic meaning of the
presents offered by these sanity men. Accord
ing to some pious writer's, the gold, offered to
the Infant Christ, implied that he was King.
the myrrh, that he was man, and the incense,
that he was God.
st. Augustine sees in these gifts the figure of
mans good works-the gold of charity, the
myrrh of modification, and the incense of
prayer. And the venerable Louis of Grenada
| explains that these three gifts o summary
of all mans duties towards God, towards him
| self and towards his neighhor.
| Prayer, which is the law of our actions to-
| wards God; modification, which is the law
governing both soul and body; and charity,
which unites MS to our fellow creatures.
The Evangelist tells us that having re-
| ceived an answer in sleep, that they should not
| return to Herod, they went back another way
| to their own country" and tradition, the echo
of the gospel, relates that they avoided the
highways, and, with great difficulty, and
| through many dangers, returned to their own
Kingdoms.
Aud here we are taught to admire-the
| wisdom of God which overthrows the widest
plots of man. -Herod, hearing that the wise
men from the East were asking publicly in
Jerusalem, "Where is he that is born King of
the Jewsi" assembled the chief priests and
scribes of the people and inquired of them
where Christ should be born.
The answer gathered from the prophets was,
I" In Bethlehem of Judea"
How easily, according to our shortsighted-
ness, might Herod have sent spies to follow
the Magi and have thus discovered the birth
| place of the King whom he dreaded SO much :;
but relying upon their promise to return and
tell him, so that he might also go and adore
Him, he was prevented from accomplishing his
| wicked designs.
1t would apparently have been an easy mat
ter for rich and powerful King to destroy an
infant child, born of wayfsring parents, and
housed in O stable of animals. few troops
could easily have overpowered delicate
woman and an old man /; and little life, kept
warm by the breath of dumb beasts, might
have been easily crushed by q single mail-clad
hand-and yet God, by simple dream,
thwarted O tyrant's will and worked His own
inscrutable designs.
Aud to-day it seems an easy matter to
destroy the Vicar of that same Infant King,
one almost as powerless as a child-in poverty
old-age, and desolation-against whom the
great ones of this world are plotting-and yet
we shall see, sooner or later, all the worlds
treachery overcome and its would-be victim
| extricated from danger and defeat.
Tradition relates that the Msg, after their
return to the East christianized their families
and their subjects, and upon the arrival of the
Apostle Thomas in their country, joined him
in his labors in Asia; and that they were visited
by st. Paul, when he travelled on his mission of
burning zeal through the countries of Arabia.
1t also records that they were put to death
for the faith, and that they offered themselves
as sacrifice of pure gold, as perfume of
myrrh, as a most acceptable incense for the
love of Christ. The same tradition holds that
the days of their martyrdom were the 1ss, 9th
and 18th of January. The Church of Cologne
celebrates this last day with great solemnity.
The relics of the Magi were discovered by
st. Helena on her visit to the East, and by her
order they were removed to Constant inople,
where they remained until the year $50, when
the Bishop of Milan obtained possession of