The star first leads the wise men to Jerusalem—where Old and New Testament meet—not Bethlehem

Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

Preaching on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, David Neuhaus, S.J., explores a curiosity in the story of the Wise Men’s journey from the East to the Bethlehem manger. “Why didn’t the star take them straight to Bethlehem? Why did it take them to Jerusalem?,” he asks. "I think it took them to Jerusalem, as we are always taken to Jerusalem, because we must encounter the scriptures of Israel,” he continues. “It is from the Scriptures of Israel that they will receive the precise destination to which they are going—Bethlehem.”

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David, a Jesuit priest and Scripture scholar of the Near-East province of the Jesuits, was born into Judaism in South Africa but has lived most of his life in the Holy Land. Firmly declaring his roots, he states, “I was born a Jew and remain a Jew,” he states, firmly declaring his roots. “I didn't have any faith until I became a Catholic.” Over the course of his ministry as a Jesuit, he has dedicated himself to teaching Scripture in both Israel and Palestine. Notably, from 2008 to 2017, he served as the vicar for the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community in Israel. Presently, he splits his time between Johannesburg and Jerusalem.

On this week's “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., delves into David’s questioning of the route the Magi took to see Jesus and its implications for the Sunday Mass readings. “There is always some intimate connection between the first reading from the Old Testament and the third reading from the Gospel,” David notes. “​I ​would ​also ​say ​that ​it ​is ​very ​helpful ​when ​we ​realize ​that ​what ​we ​are ​called ​to ​do ​in ​a ​homily ​is ​to ​make ​Jesus ​alive, ​bring ​Jesus ​alive, ​and ​that ​Jesus ​is ​made ​alive ​by ​explicit ​texts ​about ​Jesus ​in ​the ​New ​Testament, ​and ​an ​implicit ​​promise ​of ​Jesus ​in ​the ​Old ​Testament.

Read the full text of this week’s homily and Scripture readings.

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