The Gospel story of the Epiphany reveals that the Magi “were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Then it says, “They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” According to one dictionary, “homage” is “the act of acknowledging and expressing high regard and respect for another.” With that in mind, there are various physical ways to do homage: bowing – whether a simple bow of the head or a profound bow at the waist. There is also the gesture of going down on one knee, lowering oneself; a posture of humility. But here we note that the Magi prostrated themselves – a gesture in our time that means a full frontal laying down on the floor before another. So, let’s consider that gesture for a moment.
Prostrating oneself is perhaps the most profound act of homage one can offer another. In this case, it was offered to the Son of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, to the infant Jesus, our King and Savior. This profound act of homage is carried over into the Church in the rite of ordination, not only for deacons and priests, but also for bishops. To receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the candidate must prostrate himself before the Lord – indeed, to lay down his life for Christ and his Church. Then, when he rises from this solemn act of homage to Christ, the one who is then ordained must go forth to serve our Lord with filial humility and a sacrificial generosity.
From time to time, I have come into the Church where I was assigned or where I was visiting to find someone lying prostrate in the aisle or before the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. Humbling themselves before the Lord in prayer, this act of homage could be one of high regard or respect for the Lord, or one of repentance, or made as a fervent and passionate plea for a particular intention. Paying homage to the Lord in some prayerful way underscores the depths of our desire for what is being asked. It also acknowledges our faith in God, for whom nothing will be impossible.
Another act of homage is our custom as Catholics of genuflecting whenever we enter or pass by the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. Indeed, we keep a lighted candle, known as a “sanctuary lamp,” near that tabernacle to indicate the Lord’s presence there. In St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians we read, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11. In this way we acknowledge the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and do homage to him with this simple act of reverence and respect.
Beyond the liturgy and the church building, there is an even more important homage that we owe our Lord and that is the bending of our wills to accept life on God’s terms. One might say it is a much easier act of homage to genuflect before the tabernacle or bless ourselves with holy water. Yet, some have done these gestures so routinely that they have mindlessly genuflected in a dark theater before they take their seat or dipped their finger in an ashtray back when smoking was permitted in theaters. (Silly though this may be, they are true stories.) A much more challenging act of homage is to submit to what the Lord is asking of us, especially when it is not what we wanted or expected in life.
Homage begins with an intentional desire to offer high regard and respect to the Lord. Much more than a momentary gesture, homage is an intentional way of living that puts Christ first in everything. The more we seek to honor and please the Lord each day, the more readily we can accept disappointments or even tragedies in our lives. I think of Job’s response when he learned that his flocks and herds were taken away in a raid, and all his children perished at the same time. Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Our daily disposition of homage to the Lord enables us to live life on his terms, no matter what they may be.
The Magi made a journey; they went out of their way to do homage to the newborn King of the Jews. Why? Perhaps to teach us something. They teach us that doing homage to our Lord should become a pattern in our lives. There are certain things we must do to render honor and praise to the Lord. Likewise, there are things we must avoid, especially those things which exalt ourselves in ways that give no credit to the Lord or his loving providence. Of Jesus, St. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3: 30) In these words we see that growing in a life of homage before the Lord is a process. Like our Blessed Mother, each day let us say unto the Lord, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1: 38)
In this Christmas season we might pray for the grace to always humble ourselves before the Lord, especially to accept with patience and humility all that happens to us that is beyond our control. Let us bend our minds and hearts and wills to be receptive to the permissive will of our Lord so that in honoring him he may one day bestow eternal life upon us. With high regard and utmost respect let us adopt a way of life that pays homage to our Lord Jesus putting aside that which distracts us from a God-centered life.
