The Saints Who Made Christmas: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar

Everyone has seen the Nativity scenes that are commonplace for a wide range of time, sometimes from Thanksgiving weekend until early February! And everyone knows about the Magi, sometimes called the “Wise Men”, who travelled to see the Christ Child because they saw the star and knew it to be a sign of the coming Messiah. We know their gifts to the baby and His parents - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - and we even sing songs about them, such as the ever-popular “We Three Kings”. But even though these wise kings are so standard, I beg to ask - how well do we really know these three men? 

In truth, no one truly knows who these three men really were. Their stories are shrouded in mystery and myth, and the only “facts” we know about them really aren’t facts at all, but are more pieces of legends fashioned without a known source. 

The names of the wise men come from the names of three kings who ruled at the time of Christ’s birth -  Caspar, king of India, Melchior, king of Persia, and Balthazar, king of Arabia. Some accounts claim that they received ordination from Saint Thomas the Apostle and were named bishops. Others state that the three men evangelized all around Europe, Asia  and Africa and were eventually martyred for their faith. 

Because of their inspirational journey from lands far away to visit the baby Messiah, the Church has honored them with a feast day, Epiphany, which occurs each year on the sixth of January. Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season. Many Catholic families write the initials of the wise men, surrounded by the calendar year, as a blessing on their home and family.

But in between all the tradition and folklore, there is a much broader question to ask - why were the Magi even there at all?

Take a look at any Nativity scene, any image, any play…you always see the same thing - three crowned men holding gifts, often on the older side, always with different colored skin. Through the mismatched colors of skin, we see a very important message - Jesus did not just come for the Jews! He didn't even come only for the Christians, the poor, or the dirty - He came for everyone, from India to Persia to Arabia and beyond! The importance of the three wise men, so essential to a proper Christmas anything, goes further than the gifts they gave or the crowns they wore - it’s about who they represent and how we should approach the Christ Child. We should come to visit Him in our hearts, making lengthy spiritual journeys, honoring Him with our prayers and immaterial gifts, and remembering that Christ accepts us no matter who we are or where we come from.