The magi are interesting figures, fascinating figures, but mysterious figures as well. Even their name, Magi, I believe comes from magician. You know in ancient days magicians were not tricksters, they were scientists. (Laughter) What? You hear about Pharaoh’s magicians, when Moses worked his great acts and Pharaoh brought in his magicians. We think there are three of them, but we really don’t know that. We assume there are three of them because there were three gifts, but scriptures doesn’t say how many there were. The scriptures don’t tell they’re kings. Psalm 72 that we heard today talks about kings bringing tribute to the messiah, and the 16^th chapter of Isaiah had a similar reference, but they’re not closely connected, so we don't know if they’re kings or not, probably weren’t. We didn’t really know where they were from other than they were from the East. Some believe they were from Persia, Iran today, because they might have been Zoroastrantists, which is a religion that still exists today, a religion that focuses on light or the stars. As a matter of fact, their principal God was Mazda, the god of light. That must have been a 26-cylinder Mazda. One thing that most scriptural scholars do agree on though, is that these magi, how many there were or wherever they came from, were the best and the brightest. They were considered leaders and brilliant people. We can see that Herod really gave them some deference and treated them very well and respected them. So they were scientists we’ll say, and they knew the facts and they believed that the birth of a great king was presaged to a mark with a brilliant light. That’s the reason they were following that brilliant light. It’s interesting that there were several instances of comets and a confluence of planets at this time that is very interesting to read about. In any case, they had the facts, but they had more than the fact, they had believe, beliefs in better and greater possibilities, belief in something that might even change the world. But today we life in a time of facts, like Jack Webb said on Dragnet, "Just the facts, ma’am." Prove it

We are people in a culture of facts. But life is more than facts, life is also about possibilities. I can prove a fact, but I believe in possibilities. It’s different. Facts are verifiable in the here and now, possibilities, are something that requires faith and hope and trust. Many people, many Christians, deal only with the facts, I know that because I deal with them on a daily basis. They are almost locked in with that they know. Instead of letting whatever knowledge they have liberate them, it locks them in. Many people who are locked in by just the facts of life seem to be afraid. Some are afraid to quit a job they don’t like. Everyone tells them they are gifted, but they stay in a job they don’t like. They are afraid sometimes to marry. The Deacons and those who prepare people for marriage will testify to that. There’s a fear of commitment because maybe the marriage will fail. Some are afraid to have children. They say, "Who wants to bring up children In this day and age?" I don’t’ buy that. What, do you want to bring them up in the dark ages, during the black plague? Is that a better time to have kids? This is a great time to have kids. There are too many kids—the world is overpopulated. That’s not true either. You could put every man woman and child in the state of Texas and then they’d fit, and then Texas would have the population density of the city of Brussels, or the city of London, and the whole world would be vacant. The problem is we’d have 6.2 billion Texans. Oh, my, I don’t want to live in that world. Bernice, I am so sorry honey, I just couldn’t resist it. There is starvation in the world because of selfishness and greed and war and all those things. Not because there are too many of us, and not enough to eat.

Some people are afraid to be a priest or a religious brother or religious sister. They don’t want to make that commitment. I know a fellow who everyone in the world knows that Joe should be a priest except Joe. He has a job and makes good money, but he doesn’t like his job. He doesn’t want to date because he wants to be a priest and vice versa. He doesn’t want to become a priest because he’s thinks maybe he wants to get married. Joe’s going to be doing that when he’s 70-years-old. He’s afraid. He’s afraid of commitment. He’s afraid to step out of the known world in which he lives, although that known world in miserable. He’s stuck there, trapped. Many people are afraid to die, well we’re all afraid to die, but many people are afraid to face that final period of life. They medicate themselves with "Let’s go and see the Grand Canyon again Harold". It’s still there—it looks the same, just like it did last time. Many people are afraid to commit fully to God because then they’ll have to change, they’ll have to be different. The magi saw the facts, but they also saw the possibilities. Herod saw the facts only. There was a king born, that’s all he saw, and that scared him. He was afraid of the competition and he ordered that king killed, brought about he slaughter of innocents. We need to be like the Magi, we need to be like Mary. Mary not only knew the fact, she believed. Elizabeth said to her when Mary visited, "Blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

We need to be like the Magi and like Mary to believe in marriage. All right 40% or marriages fail, but 60% don’t. You know what I love in Saturday’s paper? I love to look at the anniversaries section. You all do too, don’t you . You see the before and after picture, 60 years ago and now. Isn’t that beautiful. You’re looking at 50 and 60 years of commitment and loyalty and love and a lot of hardship and pain, no doubt, as well. Marriage is beautiful, beautiful, and there are many, many wonderful marriages, and there is not one marriage that cannot be made more beautiful if it is united in Jesus Christ. And kids, having children, I can just testify to see what children do to people, especially that first born. I knew this fellow Tony, in my former parish, and Tony was just a lazy, kind of a lapsed Catholic. He came to church when his mother made him. You know, Tony was the kind of guy that says, "How come when I come to church, it’s either poinsettias or palms? Don’t you guys have any other flowers?" So Tony married a wonderful lady, and as soon as he had his baby, his son, he has 2 kids now. You couldn’t keep him out of church, he’s in church all the time, and he always has the kids. I looked at him and said, "Tony, you’ve changed." He said, "Father I’m a new man. I’ve got a reason to live. I’m the happiest man in the world. I am so blessed with this baby. Life is good." Don’t be afraid of children. I know another couple who couldn’t have children and they adopted this little fellow named Alex Preston. He is the center of their universe and they’re now about to adopt their second child. Children are not burdens, they’re dependent on you . but they make life wonderful. People are afraid to totally commit to Christ, because then you have to change. But boy if you do commit, wow, what a change. I know of no one in my history, and I bet you collectively, no one in this church, in it’s history, knows of someone who just really jumped into Jesus Christ, lock, stock, and barrel, who regrets it. It is impossible once you know the Lord’s love, to regret it. And not to be afraid of death when death is a passage to eternal life. In all of us, that’s not only the 80-year-old, that’s the 8-year-old. The way I figure, and I say this to people all the time, is what do you want to do with the rest of your life. Now, if you’re 8, maybe you got 80 years, if you’re 80, maybe you’ve got 8. The question is the same, what do you want to do with them? I say to the young people, nothing will give you fulfillment other than things of the spirit. Pleasure won’t. Promiscuity and drugs will kill you. Success won’t. Material stuff won’t. Even relationships with others, important as they are, won’t make you full. Only God can do that. Even if you’re 12, today is a good time to say, "I’m going to dedicate my life to Jesus Christ." You’ll have a great life. If you’re at the end of life, why be afraid? You’re going to see God sooner than the rest of us. It’s like you’re in line for the greatest thing in the world ahead of us, and what, you want to go to the back of the line? St. Teresa of Avilla said, "I love to hear the church bells ring, because every time that bell rings, I’m one hour closer to seeing the face of Jesus Christ." That’s faith, that’s the way we should live. When you’re old, when you’re in those final years, you have time, sometimes for the first time in your life. You have time, time to pray, time to glorify God, time to pray for those kids of yours, and grandkids. It’s good to be old, very good.

So we begin a new year, and it’s time where if you’re in a rut, get out of it. Did any of you make a resolution? Come on, put your hand up if you made a resolution. Thank you. Very few. I have worked out the first four days of this year. You’ve probably noticed. Today I’m going to work out again, let’s hope. Lord, please. We should make spiritual resolutions, because this body’s going to die. It’s falling apart already. We should make spiritual resolutions; make this the greatest year ever. My friend the cook say, "Kick it up a notch in 2003." Now is the time to do that. This is a good time to start.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus, King of Glory, we praise You on this Feast of the Epiphany. Today we celebrate our faith in the possibilities You offer us for spiritual growth. By Your loving power, may we overcome a proof-mentality that mires us in a million facts and acquire a faith-mentality that helps us soar towards possibilities. We know that the absolute greatest possibility is union with You, our dear Lord Jesus. Open our eyes of faith today, and as we receive Your precious body and blood in the Holy Eucharist, let that union change us and lead us more deeply into the mystery of Your love. We pray in Your name, Jesus, our Lord and God, forever and ever. Amen.