The Fourth Magi

I was reading in Magnificat, about "The iconographic

evolution of the Magi, (January 2012, Vol. 13, No. 11, page 432)." It is interesting how the story grew over time. The story from Matthew (2: 1-12) tells of "wise men" coming from the east. By the fourth century, art depicts a differentiation in ages of the Magi. Tertullian refers to them as kings. In the eleventh century they are given names and are thought to represent the three continents that were known, at that time: Melchior from Europe, Balthasar from Asia, and Caspar of Africa. Then in the fifteenth century, the Portuguese and Spanish try to add an American Indian king, but the idea doesn't catch on.

I protest! I want a native American included.

If Bishop Anthony Fisher, OP can put a kangaroo in the nativity, and my granddaughter can put in, Elmo, then the least people can do is be politically correct, and add a native American for the Americas, the kangaroo for Australia, and a penquin for Antarctica.

Even the Catalonians put in the caganer, for gosh sakes!

Our Part in the Story

Bishop Anthony Fisher, O.P. from Parramatta, Australia, in his homily for Christmas, explains that he once sent a statue of a kangaroo to fit in the nativity scene in Berlin, Germany. At that time, the Dominican Priory in Berlin was just emerging from being a communist nation, and had set up a nativity scene with many animals, and characters--from all walks of life. Thus, a kangaroo would be fitting. The idea was to show that everybody is part of the story.

Everybody? Sure.

Even the caganer?

Definitely.

Dominican Chauvinism

In an End of the Year of the Priests Talk given by Bishop Anthony Fisher, O.P. to Irish Dominicans, the Bishop explains why being a friar, specifically a Dominican is an enhancement to the priesthood.

Bishop Fisher is funny and informative.  This essay is a keeper.  He begins by looking at the dichotomy between a monk and a secular priest.  Do Dominican friars suffer from a multiple personality disorder?  Are Dominicans religious clerics or clerical religious?  


Actually, both comfortably fit a Dominican friar.  In Lumen Gentium, there is a distinction between the common priesthood of the baptized and the ministerial priesthood.  But the times of the era required Vatican II to promote the vocation of the laity out in the world.  The priesthood, of course is special, but it was not touted, here.  (A Council can't cover everything.)
The People of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the living God (1 Pet 1:23; Acts 6:7; 12:24), which is quite rightly sought from the mouth of priests (Mal 2:7; 1 Tim 4:11-13; 2 Tim 4:5; Tit 1:9). For since nobody can be saved who has not first believed (Mk 16:16), it is the first task of priests as co-workers of the bishops to preach the Gospel of God to all men (2 Cor 11:7). In this way they carry out the Lord's command "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk 16:15) and thus set up and increase the People of God... Priests owe it to everybody to share with them the truth of the Gospel (Gal 2:5)...[15]


Both the clerical, religious and lay vocation are all Christological.  They are similar yet have different ways of participating in the salvation of souls.  Baptism has a certain chronological, logical and ontological priority: it is the sine qua non of faith, membership of the Church, all other sacraments and professions, and the promise of eternal life. But as, Lumen Gentium tells us, the common and ministerial priesthood are ordered together--the baptized exercise their royal priesthood best by participating in the Eucharist--which can only be affected by a ministerial priest.   To that extent,  being a baptized Christian, along with being a professed Dominican, and also an ordained priest, draw a friar closer to Christ, and give him specific Christic inspirations and arenas of activity, so that they are integrated in Jesus Christ.


Wowza.