January 10, 2025, Friday of Christmas Time after Epiphany, Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)

Friends of the Rosary, Happy New Year in Christ! This Thursday after the Epiphany, Day Sixteen in Christmas, we pause to reflect on the wisdom of the “Three Holy Kings,” or the Magi, which means "great, illustrious." The Magi were called saints in the 12th century, and since then, the devotion has spread worldwide. These "Wise men from the East,” as St. Matthew called them, were a highly esteemed class of priestly scholars, devoting themselves to studying natural sciences, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, and religion. In several countries, they were members of the king's council. They could have been from any of the countries of Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, or India. The first was called Melchior; he was an old man with white hair and a long beard; he offered gold to the Lord as to his king. The second, Gaspar by name, young, beardless, offered to Jesus his gift of incense, the homage due to Divinity. The third, of black complexion, with a heavy beard, was called Baltasar; the myrrh he held in his hands prefigured the death of the Son of man. There is an old legend that when many years passed, the Magi were visited by Saint Thomas the Apostle, who baptized them after instructing them in Christianity. They were then ordained to the priesthood and made bishops. The legendary relics of the Magi were brought from Constantinople to Milan in the sixth century. In 1164, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa obtained them from the archbishop of Milan and transferred them to Cologne. Their shrine in Cologne is today the center of many pilgrimages. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • Enjoy this video and enhance your faith in our newly released Holy Rosary University iOS app. • ⁠January 10, 2025, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET