A few months back, I found myself at a convent in Gower, Missouri on retreat. There are so many blessing to being able to make a retreat- no matter who you are- and I was certainly undergoing much of the same. There were so many blessings and grace available to me in being able to pray for such a specific and deliberate time aside, and He blessed my time in so many ways. Yet, there was one moment that really blessed me above the rest of those moments. And it wasn’t one that was on the surface spiritual. It wasn’t a profound moment of insight in a Holy Hour. It wasn’t a profound thought. It wasn’t a vision.
It was this- I went out and saw the night stars.
Now, some of you might be thinking- he saw the stars? What does that mean? Why in the world would that matter?
It matters because I hadn’t seen them for a while. Any of you who have ever experienced being in the country and being in the city know exactly what I’m talking about! When you are in the country, like I was that night, you are able to see the stars. They are beautiful. They are unique. They have a beauty, even as they remind us of how small and insignificant we really are in the scheme of things. But the difference comes in when we lose sight of them! When we are in the city. When those small lights are whitewashed into static because of the lights of the city. It is so refreshing to finally see the light yet again!
Today, as a Church, we celebrate the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. This is a moment that continues our celebration of Christmas, not necessarily as a moment of birth, but rather as the moment of manifestation- where Christ lets the entire world know that He is the light of the world. He is revealed to us in a bright and powerful way. This isn’t just because of the light of a star highlighted a king, but because the King highlighted the use of that star for this one purpose- to manifest His coming! Yet, why does that really matter anyways?
To begin to answer that question, we should start at the book of the prophet Isaiah. We have followed Isaiah on our journey through the entirety of Advent, and now we are holding onto him for just a bit here in the Christmas season as well. Yet, notice, we aren’t in a theme of waiting so much anymore- but the season of waiting has passed. He speaks very heavily in the present moment- Rise up Jerusalem! Your light has come! The glory of the Lord comes upon you! Notice the vivid imagery as well- that there are thick clouds covering the people- and yet the Lord still shines. Nations can walk by this light!
As if this isn’t enough- then the people shall be radiant by the same light! And we know that this is a prophecy that points directly to the Nativity itself because of the imagery- there will be camels- there will be gold and frankincense- though it isn’t a complete list- it still very much points to the reality. The light of Christ is coming and it is going to drive out the darkness! Isaiah told about it so long ago- and it is still an ever-growing reality even to this point!
If we move on for just a moment, we can go to Saint Paul and his letter to the Ephesians. Though this does not seem to directly refer to light- it does speak to a handy parallel- the fact that Jesus Christ is revelation. He is the way that so much has reached our eyes, our ears, and has entered into our reality. If we think about Paul’s background, this makes a lot of sense. When Paul receives Jesus’s revelation, He receives Him as he appears radiant in the sky. He broke through Paul’s darkness and misunderstanding and brought about something new. It has been revealed by the Spirit- and now it is not just for Paul nor his fellow Jews- but it is for everyone that He encounters!
Finally, we arrive at the Gospel, which emphasizes the very story that is at the heart and core of the mystery of the Epiphany. We hear the story all the time- how the magi came from the east, and desired to see the newborn King. When they arrive and speak to Herod, they eventually go towards Bethlehem- and there was that star that led them on their way to reach the Christ child. They reach Him in that place where the Christ child was- and then they offer their gifts- symbolizing his kingship, his holiness, but also His passion and suffering as well. Then, they leave that place- and are warned very sternly not to return to Herod but to go and find another way Home.
Now as often as we have heard this story, it is good to revisit a few details that we might glance over initially when we think about this Gospel. Think about the fact that the magi even saw the star. This might seem like an easily disposable detail- but it is important! These magi are searching for something. The reality is- you and I are each searching for something ourselves, aren’t we? Now, to be clear, many times we might settle for what is never going to satisfy. We might settle for all sorts of things that threaten the light of that star that leads us to Christ. We might settle for things that sparkle, but do not truly shine. We might want after popularity, admiration, or perhaps being wanted above others. Worse, we might struggle with things that lead us away from Christ- perhaps sins that get in the way of our relationship. Whatever they are- we often sell ourselves short with these things that last only for a time- but always leave us reeling in the darkness nonetheless.
A second point- these wise men did see the star, and they followed it. Notice- the star did not seem to be stationary, but was moving through that night. When we follow Christ- if we choose to follow the star- then we know that it is going to invite us to change. It isn’t about staying stagnant or where we are. It is about moving and about conversion. Christ is going to lead each one of us on- and closer to Him- bur only if we persist in moving after the star!. This means sacrifice! If we want the light of Christ in our hearts and our souls- and in our very life- we should be willing to let it change us for the better! Christianity is not a spectator sport- and your relationship with Him should not be either!
Finally, notice- what happens after the Magi find the Christ child? When they have that moment of encounter- what do they do when they leave? Do they simply go back to life as it was before? Do they just return from where they came from? If we trace the Gospel and what it tells them- we are told they do go back to where they came from- but not by the way that they are used to, but by a different way! They don’t come into contact with the Christ child and remain unchanged or stagnant where they are but they hear and encounter the Christ child, and then are moved to be changed! They go home by a different route- they find a new way to live out their life of faith. They aren’t going to do the “same old, same old” any longer! They have been impacted in a positive way- and they are going to follow the Lord in a new way. They have been invited into relationship- and because of that they don’t go home empty, but with hearts that are filled with hope.
And perhaps that, my brothers and sisters, is the fundamental lesson I learned gazing out upon that night sky. Things aren’t meant to stay in one place. They aren’t meant to stay stagnant. We aren’t meant to sit in the darkness that our world offers. In fact, Jesus utilizes the stars to remind us that there is more- even though at times it may feel that it is in danger of being drowned out or blotted out by the lights of so many different things. Nonetheless, if we are a people that are faithful and that are changed by the Gospel, then we are going to find something that truly invites us to behold the light in a new way, so that we not only seek. We not only see a star. We see the one true light, who has come and called us to rise up.
The star has risen- and we are now at this moment. Let us have the courage to behold the light of Christ in a new way that we not only see for a time- but one that changes us for all of eternity, and leads us closer to Him.
