«They set out … they were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house the Magi saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage… (and)
departed for their country by another way».

The journey from the East, the star that appeared to the Magi, the sight of the Savior, the adoration of Him and the taking of a new path, constitute the stages that believers, personally and in community, have to go through in their life journey to meet the Savior of the world.

In fact, the image we celebrate today is that of the journey of the Magi, the three wise men. In them, we observe once more one of the most popular and powerful paradigm-image in all of Scripture: the life of faith as a journey. But it is a very particular kind of journey the Magi make, one which serves well the image of the life of faith: it is a search.

“The nature of faith is not such that from a certain moment onwards one can say: ‘I possess it, others do not’... Faith remains a journey. Throughout the course of our lives, it remains a journey, and therefore faith is always threatened and in danger. And it is also healthy that it thus escapes the risk of becoming an ideology that can be manipulated. At the risk of hardening us and making us incapable of sharing reflection and suffering with our brother who doubts and questions. Faith can only mature to the extent that it bears and takes on, at every stage of existence, the anguish and strength of unbelief, and finally crosses it to the point of becoming viable again in a new era”. (Benedict XVI)

The Magi went through situations in which they always had to ask, always follow the sign sent to them by God so that they could experience the joy of seeing Christ, adoring him and offering him their gifts. Unlike any other journey, to set out on a search means to leave behind something that is known, and move to something that is unknown. The Magi did so. At home, they were experts in their arts and sciences. As we like to say today: "they were in control, along with their certainties and expertise." But they had the courage to leave everything behind setting out on a search. They moved into unfamiliar environments, without the certainty of knowing who and what they would find.

This is the very experience of the believer and the missionary as well. Each one of us is, by definition, homo viator, always on the road, always searching, a defining trait of our being in the world and our desire for God. The Solemnity of Epiphany reminds us of the style of mission: to depart from what is known and familiar, from one's own needs, desires, and hopes, and to delve into the "Other," infinite, far-from-obvious world, moving into the presence of God… (who is waiting for us), in order to prostrate ourselves and pay Him homage.

A search is never planned. The Magi came with questions - Where is the newborn king of the Jews? - not with answers. They were learned people but this did not stop them from asking. Certainly, setting out on a search demands prudence and a minimum of preparation for all that can be expected. But the one who honestly seeks must be willing to be surprised, even disturbed by God, and must give up “the right to determine" his new experience in every detail. That is what makes it a search.

In this regard, Herod and the Magi are a study in contrast. We observe that two scripts act in the story of the Magi's encounter with Herod, the one of searching and the one of defending. One sets in motion, the other stiffens and blocks. The frankness and transparency of the Magi is contrasted with the secrecy and violence of Herod's talks. They employed no secret or any deceitful technique. The Magi rejoice while Herod is deeply troubled. The Magi are personally involved, setting out, taking the road because they longed to see where the star would bring them. On the other hand, Herod delegates his worship through an interposed person. He does not leave his physical and psychological fortress, which has become his moral and spiritual prison. Therefore, no epiphany could happen there.

A missionary of the Gospel, is first of all a searcher, a person who questions himself, willing to move into God’s presence, trying to recognize His ways (vs. Herod’s ways).

At the same time, a missionary is a believer, marked by a powerful trust and sustained by «a spirit of living faith which enables us to see God, seek God, love God in all things, intensifying our desire to spread his kingdom everywhere» (St. Guido Conforti). He avoids to be like the apostles who enjoyed fishing very close to the shore, that Jesus had to command them: “Go out into the deep!”

Against all expectations, the Magi teach us to take the last steps, the most difficult ones. They go back home by a “different direction”. Meeting God in the face of the Christ Child means taking a different route, changing paths, away from Herod’s palace. They had to change their ideas about power, about God, and about people, and in so doing, they also had to change themselves. Because of the Child Jesus, the Magi will never be the same.

In our search, after encountering Jesus, we cannot be the same again. We have reason to believe and to announce all over the world that there is Salvation. In our faith journey, we can trust the leading Star: we are loved so deeply that the very son of God was sent not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.