The Wise Men, with their clever knowledge of astronomy and their lavish gifts, represent all that is best in worldly values. They also have a bit of magic about them, for frankincense and myrrh were used in spells, and the word for ‘wise men’ can also mean ‘magicians’. In this case, the Wise Men have real wisdom and its reward, and all the respect and fame due to a ‘magus’ and yet they lay it all at Jesus’ feet. It might be worth asking at this beginning of the year whether we submit all our skills and comforts to Jesus as the Wise Men did. The story also rests on the sharp contrast between King Herod and the Wise Men. Herod was a Jew, so he should have recognised and honoured the Jewish Messiah. Not at all! He tried to kill the Messiah. By contrast, the Wise Men, arriving from what for us would be the equivalent of outer space, carry on their search till they find Jesus and humbly bow before him. This poses a nasty question: we Christians have all the guidance and encouragement of the Church, but how often do we find those outside the Church, not even professed Christians, behaving in a more Christian way than we do ourselves! What skill, what gift may I place before Jesus today?