“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem . . . Magi came from the East.” Matthew 2

“The Christian of the future will be a mystic, or (s)he will not exist at all.” Karl Rahner

Who were the Magi?  There’s ongoing speculation about their identity.  I think the answer in one respect is quite simple:  They were mystics.

We hear that word mystic and immediately think of some type of weird holy person who lives like a hermit or who has ecstatic experiences of God.  But that takes the idea much too far.  The path of a mystic is open to each of us, just as it was to those Magi.  What is it that makes for a mystic?  A simple definition would be “One who is aware of the immanent presence of the transcendent Divine.”  To this I would suggest the following four components.

Longing.  Have you ever felt out of place?  Perhaps like you simply don’t belong? Dissatisfied?  That something is missing or that you don’t ever feel settled?  Perhaps that is the mystic in you.  The Mystic longs to be in the Presence of God.  Not only someday, or somewhere over a rainbow, but in the here and now.  St. Augustine said, “My heart will not rest until it rests in Thee.”  The story of the people of God is one of pilgrimage. The Celts call it “peregrini”, which means journey.  Longing to follow God, to be with God, is what compelled the first disciples to follow Jesus, for martyrs to willingly and even eagerly give up their lives, and for the Magi to make that journey to Bethlehem.

Listening.  The Magi listened to God.  When queried by Herod about the birthplace of the Messiah, they responded with a quote from the prophet Micah.  They listened to The Written Word, but I am convinced that they were listening with their hearts as well.  And that is why they were able to recognize Jesus as The Child of God.  A mystic listens to God at a deep level that goes deeper than a surface spirituality.

Looking.  The Magi were led by faith to follow The Star.  They knew where to look, even though it may have seemed irrational or irresponsible.  God gives signs all the time.  The mystic is one who not only looks for those signs but recognizes them when they appear.  The mystic need not ask for a sign, for they are readily able to see them.  It is a deeper kind of seeing.  It is an intuitive vision that clearly reveals the divine.  And when one sees it, the response is loving adoration.

Loving Adoration.  The Magi bowed down and adored the Christ.  I wonder, when was the last time we bowed down in the Presence of someone or something that seemed so small, but in fact was so great?  That is what a mystic does; adores the infinite in the infinitely small. To adore a snowflake or a leaf or a caterpillar that will become a butterfly; That is being a mystic.  To adore someone with dementia or who is dying or simply desperate to live anew; that is being a mystic.  To adore the trees, plants, or animals that gave their lives so that we might live; that is being a mystic.  To adore the Presence of God living in, with, and through our own broken selves and in the rest of a hurting humanity; that is being a mystic.

So who were the Magi?  They were mystics.  The greater question is:  Who are you?