When Wise Men Were Summoned...

We don’t know much about them, the wise men who play such a large part in the Christmas story. They appear only in the Book of Matthew, which neither names nor counts them. No titles, resumes, or country of origin. Just “Magi.”

We are told they came from the east, following His star. They brought gifts fit for a king to bestow on a newborn. They conferred Messianic status on this manger baby, status well beyond Herod the Great’s, who had been dubbed “King of the Jews” by the Romans. Their news scared the crap out of Herod, and his fear drove him to have every boy under 2 executed. If it weren’t for the dreams of Joseph and the wise men, the Christmas story would have ended right there.

“Song for the Wise Ones,” which I quoted last week, opens with the Magi.

This is a song

from a scene long ago

When wise men were summoned

for what, they don’t know

To seek for the truth

in a world dark and sore

Where empires took census

to strangle the poor

As Herod of Terror,

who schemed far and near

Was blinded by greed

for his profit so dear

He missed the peace star

that shone bright as the day

And the wise men, in dreaming,

went home another way.

The message of the Magi is the critical importance of people who march to the beat of a different drummer, different than the siren of well-being or the bugle of power. We can see some of those in our midst today.

Think of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, who last week filed suit against 5 banks for their illegal foreclosure procedures. Apparently AGs from most states have been trying to negotiate with the banks but getting nowhere. California’s Kamala Harris withdrew from the negotiations because many states were settling with the banks without winning any ground for their constituents. But Martha Coakley decided that Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and GMAC need to be reined in. “The single most important thing we can do to return to a healthy economy is to address this foreclosure crisis,” she said, using her position on behalf of her constituents instead of Caesar. Taking a daring route toward putting us back on track.

“Wise men, wise women,

Children and elders who stay and who roam,

Sing a song for the wise ones

Who still can see visions

And lead all God’s creatures

Another way home.”