“Do I know you?” This is a question we might ask many times during our lifetimes. We might ask it in many different circumstances. It might express simple curiosity, or a degree of defense against the unknown, or a genuine desire to know someone whom we have only seen in passing or from a distance.
As we bridge from the intimacy of the family of a newborn child in the manger to the journey of the Magi, we follow their encounter with Herod, and their guidance by the Star and the Message to avoid Herod when they leave. Imagine the moments of “Do I know you?” that occur within the scenes this great feast recalls!
The Magi know the public image of the king they encounter in Herod, but not the man. They are so consumed with the quest within their journey that they do not ask this question, of him or of the court figures who answer his and their questions. They assume the genuine support of their effort based on what is asked of them and the information that is given them.
When the effort of their journey is rewarded, the Magi “know Him” because of the prophecy and the Star. We might ask what version of this question was in their minds as they beheld the simple carpenter and his wife as they cradled the Newborn King in a manger. And we might ask what version of this question was in this couple’s minds as they received these visitors from afar and the gifts that they brought for their Son.
What they knew of each other is dramatically affected by Him whom they now know. Shepherds are on a par with Magi. A king will squander his power and his legacy because he wishes this child ill for he only knows Him as a threat. Shepherds, Magi, Joseph and Mary will know even themselves differently for knowing Him. How clear is the answer to our question, “Do I know You?”
Fr. Tom