Follow the Star
The star they had seen at its rising preceded them (Mt. 2:9)
I want to share with you a memory that I particularly like.
Several years ago, in a television interview, a child was asked: “What do you prefer: day or night?” Unexpectedly, the emphatic answer was: night! Taken aback, the interviewer continued: “Why do you like the night? During the day, you can play, run, laugh and do a lot of other things.” With a beautiful smile, the child replied: “But at night I can see the stars!” The beauty of starlight is visible only in the dark and this is also true of life. Reality, no matter how crude, always gifts us with stars.
The Gospel for the Feast of the Epiphany (from the Greek verb epiphaino: epi – upward, and phaino–to appear, to enlighten, to shine) gifts us with a special star: the one that led the Wise Men to Bethlehem and that will guide us toward the future. It is a star with four luminous rays that shine from the following words:
Desire–one of the most beautiful and fascinating words we can encounter. It derives from the Latin de (negative acceptance) and sidus (star). To desire something means to realize that there are no stars. With this realization, desire is transformed into an impassioned search, a journey. The Magi set out at night, searching for a mysterious king. Their trip involved a lot of unforeseen elements and adventures, halts and returns to the road. They even got lost! By mistake or destiny, the wise men from the East found the wrong king and the wrong city. In fact, they wound up in Jerusalem, where they ran the risk of being killed by Herod. But the star that was guiding them did not forsake them because this time it shone from Sacred Scripture: the prophet Micah pointed the Magi in the right direction–namely, toward Bethlehem. Rediscovering the light, the wise men were filled with joy and resumed their journey, overcoming every obstacle. Urged on by their powerful desire, by their profound search and by the announcement in the Scriptures, they entered the house and beheld the true star, Jesus, and knelt before him in silent adoration.
Let us do the same!
Echoes of the Psalms
Your word is
a lamp for my feet,
a light for my path.
(Psalm 119:105)
