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January-February 2025 - The Magi

January 1, 2025 by Nancy Cason
Artist: Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath
(USA, Contemporary)

The Magi, by Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath, embellishes the Epiphany story in Matthew 2:1-12 with a sense of royal pageantry. Three exotically dressed wise men bear precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as they follow the star of Bethlehem to the birthplace of Jesus. Their physical characteristics and varied style of dress suggest that these Gentiles hail from different continents of the known world, and biblical scholar Stephen Hultgren sums up this critical point when he writes, “The magi stand for all the nations, including us, who would come to worship Jesus.”*

This painting is aesthetically compelling, not only because of its colorful, eye-catching patterns but for its unusual compositional arrangement. The artist divided the picture plane diagonally into two triangles, and the implied line that runs from the bottom left to the top right suggests the forward movement of the regal procession. Within the larger triangular space, the figures’ heads, arms, containers, and sashes form a path for our eyes to follow so that we can pause to admire each distinguishing characteristic of these multicultural magi.

Balancing the complexity of the group of figures is the still night sky. Its expanse of saturated blue is punctuated by the guiding star that calls to mind the familiar refrain from “We Three Kings,” John Henry Hopkins’ 1857 hymn: “Guide us to thy perfect light.” As we enter the new year, how will we be guided by the perfect light of the One who brings salvation to all?

* “Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12” by Stephen Hultgren, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-5


Cover image courtesy of Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath. ©1995 by Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath. Prints of cover art are available from www.bromickeymcgrath.com


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