In our country, which is Persia, magician means wise, that is, scholar. We too had studied a lot, especially on the book called Avesta. Our shoulders had hunched over that book. Our beards had turned white in the study. The book announced the coming of a "wise lord or, of a "victorious Liberator" of men.
Before us, generations and generations of wise men had waited this miraculous character, but always in vain. We were old now, and we feared of having to close your eyes without having seen the Liberator. We looked to the sky, waiting for a sign heralding his coming. And here is a star of extraordinary splendor sign us to follow it. We left happy, mounted on the best mounts, richly dressed with crowns on their heads and gifts in their hands. It wouldn't have been convenient to show up to that great character without gifts. One of us he took a golden cup symbol of royal power, another took an amphora full of incense symbol of priestly honor, the other still he took a chalice of myrrh symbol of redemption. The star was our guide.
We crossed mountains, we crossed plains, we forded rivers and met cities, without the star showing signs of stopping. Once in Jerusalem, King Herod was warned of our arrival. He knew we were looking for the King of the Jews and asked his wise men: - Where do the books say that the Redeemer is to be born? Jews also had a book called the Bible, where the coming of the Savior was announced. Therefore the wise answered King Herod: - Bethlehem will be his cradle. - - Go to Bethlehem, - Herod told us - and when you return you will tell me about him.
We began to travel again, and the star traveled with us, until he stopped over a poor stable. We found the Baby swaddled and placed in the manger between two animals. What abandonment and what misery! The King of the world lay on chopped straw, without court and without honors. At that sight, our wisdom was confused. We had hoped to find a mighty King in a sumptuous palace, in the midst of riches and splendors. Seeing so much humility we felt humiliated. We put out our gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Child looked at us as if to accept them, but we felt that it was not enough to offer those gifts alone. He was content with neither gold nor frankincense nor myrrh. He wanted our heart together, and he wanted it filled with that wealth that never dies out, and which is called Love. To this Love, which translates into Charity, our science of old scholars he had never thought. A child taught us, recently born, in a stable, with a smile that rejuvenated our very old heart.
